


A Different Summer

by junkknight



Category: Carnaval De Cuentos
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2018-10-17 15:39:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 27,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10597056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junkknight/pseuds/junkknight
Summary: "The crystals given to the Ringleaders sustained a good amount of magic, but they were not invincible. And what Michelangelo Hayes wanted was the impossible."





	1. Lica Mitha

**Author's Note:**

> ADS is a side story that takes place before the events of Carnaval de Cuentos and serves more as a secret window into the world of CDC rather than a prequel to the comic’s events. 
> 
> If you are not familiar with Carnaval de Cuentos, you can read about it here: http://carnavaldecuentos.tumblr.com/about

The castle sat quietly underneath the cloudy night sky, hidden perfectly within a vast field of evergreens to seclude itself from the rest of the world. Not many knew its exact location, not even the very own guests that were allowed to set foot within the towering walls. Its existence went even more unrecognized and so in a sense, to most of the world, it might as well have not existed at all.

But to the Ringleaders, the only ones that had walked through its dark empty corridors, the castle stayed very real in their minds. Afterall, they gathered there once a year for the opening ceremony which consisted of a grand masquerade ball to honor the start of the Carnival year. Only then, the castle would be very much alive. Every ceiling lit, every window decorated with curtains and music would sail through the halls and into the night. The grand ballroom would buzz with conversation and laughter. Drinks would spill and masked bodies would grace the dancefloor.

Although on this particular night of June, the castle was but a mere whisper in between the rustling of the trees and the howl of the wind. And on the castle’s highest balcony, a ringleader was drooped tiredly over the rail, wearing a scowl that would signal anyone not to disturb.

A couple of Ringleaders burst through the doors with drunken laughter.

“Michelangelo!” chimed a Ringleader in a dark red tailcoat. His black hair was slicked back and it was amazingly shiny underneath the moonlight.

Micc, the Ringleader that was still slouched over the rail, rolled his eyes at the sound of his birth name. He took a deep breath and reluctantly turned around, giving the three Ringleaders before him a big cheesy grin. One that was very apparently fake.

“Hell—” He began but was cut off when another Ringleader, tall and barrel-chested, slapped a heavy hand to his back. Micc stumbled forward. He always thought he was slightly built but at that moment, he started wondering if all those self-training days had been useless. He was still no match for Kimo.

“Is this where you’ve been hiding all night?” Said James with his wide cheerful grin.

“Looks like it.” Micc responded, still grinning even though his back was suddenly hot with the sting of the slap.

“You’re not one to hide,” scoffed the shiny haired one, or Darcy as he liked to be called.

Liezel, the fairly short Ringleader beside him, chipped in.

“Yeah,” She said, playfully pushing Micc by the shoulders. “I’m surprised you’re not downstairs making a show of yourself.”

“Contrary to popular belief, I actually like my own quiet space.” Micc smirked, giving Liezel a wink. He paused before adding. “Sometimes.”

The Ringleaders burst into laughter once more. Micc tried his best to keep a smile even though his head still felt light and hollow. He subtly moved aside to rest against the railing.

“You really should’ve been downstairs though,” Liezel said, her long brown curls falling wildly over her face and well past the shoulders of her yellow tailcoat. “We think someone tried to set the woods on fire.” She laughed. “There were sparks everywhere, like a hundred firecrackers going off.”

Darcy rolled his eyes, “Yeah and whoever did it almost cost us next year’s Masquerade. It’s bad enough we had to cancel this one.”

James giggled. “Corvus was so mad.”

“I bet.” Micc grinned and this time with a bit more energy. Hearing about Corvus’ angry outbursts always revved him up. Especially because nine out of ten times, he was the cause of it. And today was no different. He turned around, leaning over the railing; spotting a dark patch where the fire sparks had scorched the ground.

“You didn’t hear anything, Micc?” Darcy question.

Micc was smirking, albiet rather tiredly. “Didn’t hear a god damn thing.” He answered.

There was no need to tell the Ringleaders behind him that he had been messing around with his magic again. Messing, no, not messing around. He was practicing. With fire none the less.

The elements were placed on a higher level of training; one that the Ringleaders weren’t taught unless they passed the Ascension Trials. Which Micc had absolutely no time for. Or skill, if it had been put in words by the Ringmasters. But Micc chose to believe it was only because of time.

And there was so little of it.

So he escaped the party downstairs early and spent most of the night trying to get his amulet to cooperate with him. It took many tries before the blue crystal began to glow dimly in submission to his ambitious desires. But that was the easy part. His amulet knew him well by now. It was accustomed to trying new things, breaking old rules, pushing past limits. It was accustomed and it was worn out.

Micc felt the warmth still radiating from the amulet beneath his coat. It throbbed dully, a sign that it was trying to regain its stability. Also a sign that it was being abused.  
“Listen, we’re all heading over to Amiel’s carnival tomorrow.” Liezel spoke up, tugging on Micc’s cape. “You know, to celebrate the lottery winner.”

Micc’s jaw tensed. The fact that he couldn’t achieve a proper fireball tonight was enough to dampen the mood. But to be reminded that he wasn’t picked to host the annual Halloween masquerade, well, that was just the cherry on top of a shit sundae.

James yawned, “Amiel is a very lucky person.” Micc could hear the drowsiness in his voice. It must’ve been close to 4 am already. He looked down and saw that some Ringleaders were beginning to leave.

“Very lucky,” Darcy added in a rather curious tone. He continued after a pause, “They must be the luckiest Ringleader among us.”

Liezel yawned as well, “Why do you say that?” She scooted over to James to lean against him.

Micc kept his eyes focused on the Ringleaders leaving. He spotted Amiel and Eva. A part of him wanted to shout something witty to them but Darcy then caught his attention.

“Oh, I heard Amiel has gotten a hold of a certain special stone.”

Micc’s ears perked up but he didn’t turn around.

“Special stone?” Liezel asked. “What kind of special stone?”

Micc watched as Amiel laughed along to something Eva said. There were a couple of Ringleaders that passed by and patted their back, most likely congratulating them on their win.

Darcy spoke again, “Litha Mica.”

Liezel snorted, “Lepidolite? Yeah, so? My mom had lots of jewelry made from it.”

“Ok cool,” Darcy replied in an annoyed manner. “But I’m talking about enchanted Lepidolite. The one Aquila told us about.”

“Ohhhhh,” Liezel and James replied excitedly in unison.

Micc froze.

“There’s no way.” James added after a pause. “That’s impossible. You can only get enchanted litha mica from the Ringmasters. And they forbid it!”

Darcy shrugged, “That’s the word around town.”

“They cannot just own a death stone,” Liezel objected. “Whoever made up that rumor was probably just…I don’t know. Bored.”

  
“Who did you even hear that from?” James added.

“Hey, I don’t snitch, okay? I just pass on the word,” Darcy said defensively.

Micc watched as Amiel and Eva walked away from the castle and disappeared into the woods. James was right, there was no way Amiel could have a hold of an enchanted “death” stone. The Ringmasters would never pass down a piece, no matter how many Ascension trials you passed. It would be too risky.

But a part of Micc wanted to believe.

Because if Amiel had a hold of that stone. That only meant one thing: Micc would be able to steal it.

“Anyways. Amiel’s carnival tomorrow,” Liezel spoke, poking Micc’s back. “You coming or what?”

Micc turned around, sporting his signature shit eating grin.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said.

 

* * *

 

The crystals given to the Ringleaders sustained a good amount of magic, but they were not invincible. And what Micc wanted was the impossible.

He only just began to feel how sore his body really was as he walked down the empty road that led to Amiel’s carnival, or El Carnaval De Cuentos, as they had named it. His upper body hurt the most. His hands felt swollen and stiff. Fire was the worst element to start with.

His amulet was still throbbing but it had finally cooled down. It hung loosely around Micc’s neck, swinging delicately along with each step the Ringleader took. It had a strange glint on one of its corners that caught Micc’s attention. He stopped in his tracks and upon closer inspection, realized that his crystal gained a new crack on its surface.

“Fuck me,” Micc groaned.

The reason as to why his body was a lot sorer than usual made a whole lot of sense now.

Recoil.

He had experienced recoil ever since the first crack appeared on his crystal; the award he received on his first attempt at disintegration. If the elements were up on the skill chart, disintegration was just below that. But Micc was impatient and filled with a hunger to wield more powerful magic.

His amulet grew restless. It disobeyed. And Micc only pushed it further. The cracks deepened. The amulet’s glow grew duller. It was exhausted. And so was Micc. But he wasn’t ready to stop just yet.

“You’re tired,” he told his amulet, cradling it within his hands. “I know. But it’s okay. Because you see that?” He pointed towards the carnival on the horizon. “There might be a powerful stone in there. And if I can find it – if I can steal it –I can put you to rest. Forever. How does that sound?”

The amulet merely glowed in response.

El Carnaval de Cuentos had been settled in an empty desert field. Micc wasn’t exactly sure where he was in but he figured it had to be one of the southern states of the US. The sun was beginning to set and since the carnival’s main lights were the only ones on, Micc knew it was under the shield. Which meant everyone aside from Ringleaders would only see an empty field. Not that it needed to be invisible. There didn’t seem to be signs of life for miles.

As Micc approached, he realized what a fairly…normal carnival it was. The words “Carnaval De Cuentos” were carved into a wooden banner; it’s red and yellow paint weathered slightly. The banner was nailed onto two large posts and in between were plain metal black gates. Behind that, he could see the countless booths and rides that weren’t much different from the carnivals that used to station themselves near the orphanage during his childhood.

Unimpressive.

And to think the Halloween Masquerade was going to be hosted here.

Micc rolled his eyes. He neared the gates and wrapped a hand around one of the metal bars, only to receive a sharp electric zap.

“Fuck!” He hissed, quickly pulling back and examining his gloved hand. He looked up at the gates and huffed.

“Good one, Ams” he said.

Micc paced around, studying the gate. Amiel had placed a barrier spell, one he was sure he could break. He glanced down at his amulet, running a thumb over the newly formed crack.

“I can do this,” he whispered.

He rolled his neck and shoulders, stretching out his sore arms and shaking them in preparation. He opened and closed his hands, wiggling his fingers to get at least an inch of feeling in them. And then he went back to the gate, hands outstretched so that his palms were a mere inch away from the invisible barrier.

He closed his eyes, concentrating on the pulse of his amulet. The heat where the it laid on his chest grew strong, sending vibrations through his chest and down his arms. If his amulet had been damage free, he would not have felt this. Although it had been a while since Micc and his amulet shared the recoil. His body had become somewhat of a vessel through which the magic traveled.

Not exactly the safest of things.

His gloved palms began to heat up. Micc opened his eyes and smirked as the tips of his fingers emitted a white glow. It covered the entire gate, spreading and spreading in all directions until the barrier that covered the entire carnival was visible.

The heat in his hands kept building, traveling to his arms and back to his chest.

“Come on, Blue.” Micc grunted, quickly glancing down at his amulet. “Let me do this.”

The barrier began to vibrate, producing a low buzzing noise.

Micc could feel it breaking. Micc could feel himself grinning.

“Come on, baby. Come on.” He said through gritted teeth. His chest felt constricted. As if someone was squeezing his lungs. But he couldn’t stop now. Not when the barrier was cracking.

“What the hell are you doing?”

The voice appeared so suddenly that Micc jumped, causing his fingertips to make contact with the barrier. The magic backfired and sent him flying a few feet back. He landed on his side with a harsh thud, knocking the wind out of him.

“Oh shit,” said the voice. Micc’s eyes were shut closed in pain but he could hear footsteps rushing towards him. He heard the sound of something dropping and soon a pair of hands where grabbing his shoulders and turning him over on his back.

Micc opened his eyes, gasping for air. His vision was blurry but as it pulled into focus he found a boy kneeled beside him sporting a look of concern.

It took a while for Micc to digest what had just happened and when he did, he was all frowns and huffs as he swatted the boy’s hands of his shoulders, picking himself up and angrily dusting off the dirt from his coat and pants.

“Whoa, hey, relax,” said the boy.

“Don’t tell me to relax,” Micc shouted, his voice coming out quite shaky from the shock. He stumbled around for a bit, struggling to regain his balance. The boy held out his hands, cautiously, perhaps afraid that Micc might fall over again.

Micc swatted his hands away again.

“Don’t touch me.” He hissed and pointed at the gates “I had that! It was seconds away from breaking!”

The boy’s gaze flew to the gates and then back to Micc. He raised a brow. “What, the gates?”

Micc groaned, “Not the gates. The barrier!”

It was then that Micc took another look at the boy. He was taller, sporting a black leather jacket with a white t-shirt underneath. And his hair was neatly combed up into a pompadour. But no tailcoat. No gloves. No amulet.

Definitely not a Ringleader.

“Wait a second. Who are you?” Micc squinted his eyes at him. “How the hell can you see this carnival. How the hell did you even get here? It’s the middle of nowhere!”

The boy blinked. And a second later, he was laughing. He walked over to a large paper bag that sat on the floor—what Micc assumed he had heard dropping minutes earlier—and picked it up, cradling it in one arm.

He gave Micc a grin, still chuckling. Micc was already deciding he didn’t like this boy.

“I’m Benjamin.” He said and nodded towards the carnival. “I live here.”

It was Micc’s turn to blink. “You what?”

Benjamin nodded and then turned to point behind him. “Oh, and I got here with that.”

Micc leaned to the side to look behind Benjamin. He spotted a motorcycle he swore was not there a few seconds ago. He couldn’t even remember hearing it pull up.

“I—” Micc began, but his head was still swimming with incoherent thoughts. And his chest and body still felt heavy from the recoil. “Fuck.” His body began to sway.

“Are you okay?” Benjamin asked, hand outstretched again with caution.

“Never been better.” Micc grinned bitterly bending over to rest his hands on his knees. “Thanks to you.” He added.

“Whoa, I had nothing to do with you trying to break the barrier!” Benjamin said defensively.

“You interrupted.” Micc grunted, watching as his amulet swung back and forth below him.

“Hey,” Benjamin walked up, crouching down to look up at Micc. Micc could spot a tattoo of a red rose peaking from the side of Benjamin’s neck where the collar of his jacket rested.

“Assuming you are a Ringleader,” the younger boy continued, “from the magic and the get up and shit, and you’re here for the party…I mean.” He pointed to Micc’s amulet. “Why didn’t you just press your necklace thing to the barrier?”

Micc swatted Benjamin’s hand for the third time. He stood up, running a tired hand through his copper hair.

“Didn’t Amiel tell you? ….Shit, did they forget to tell you?”

Amiel didn’t forget. And Micc knew. But he was not about to tell this stranger the reasons he had behind wanting to break the barrier.

“Listen, Ben—can I call you Ben? Cool. Just. Forget this ever happened, okay?”

“Sure, whatever.” Benjamin shrugged. And walked over to the gates, digging into his pocket and pulling out an amulet—Amiel’s amulet.

“Hold on a second,” Micc limped over, more confused than ever. “Amiel let you borrow that?”

Benjamin nodded casually, pressing the amulet against the barrier, illuminating it in that white glow. The gates opened.

“Ringleaders aren’t allowed to let anyone else carry their amulets.” Micc squinted, walking into the carnival with the taller boy. Ben simply looked at Micc with slight disinterest.

“Really? I didn’t know that.” He said.

“Y-You didn’t—” Micc stuttered, impatient and confused. “How do you live with a Ringleader and _not_ know that.”

Benjamin adjusted the bag on his arm. Micc noticed it was filled with groceries.

“I don’t know, dude. I just work the ticket booth. Amiel took my brother and I—”

“Your brother?” Micc interrupted. Despite the clausterfuck that was happening in his head from the recoil, he was still able to make a very important connection. Micc’s face lit up. “Oh shit, you’re one of the twins aren’t you?”

Benjamin, taken back by those words, gave Micc a weird look. “Uh…yeah. How did—”

“Amiel and I are best pals.” Micc gave him a smile; the type he took years to perfect when he wanted to cover up a lie. “They talk a lot about you two.”

Benjamin’s eyes widen a fraction, surprised by the words. “Do they?” He said quietly and looked down as they continued walking.

Micc might’ve noticed the faint blush creeping onto Benjamin’s cheeks but he was too busy going over his amazing discovery. The tall boy next to him was one of the Amado twins. He had overheard many conversations between Amiel and Eva that dwelled on the twins. Amiel was very fond and protective of them. Knowing that was enough to safely assume that Amiel had a lot of trust in these siblings as well. The three sounded practically inseparable.

So if there really was a death stone hidden somewhere inside Carnaval de Cuentos, Micc would bet all his money—no, _all his magic_ —that Benjamin knew where it was. For fucks sake, Amiel was even letting him borrow their amulet.

Benjamin definitely had to know.

“Micc! There you are!” Jame’s fruity voice sailed through the air. Micc was brought back to reality. He turned around and spotted James and Liezel near one of the stands, eating cotton candy. They waved cheerfully at him.

Micc waved back but suddenly remembered Benjamin. He glanced around until he saw the taller boy heading towards a trailer behind some game stands.

“Hey, where are you going?” Micc called out, not exactly sure why he was even asking.

Benjamin looked back and raised a brow. “To my trailer. Why?” He then added with a smile “You waiting for an apology or something?”

Micc shrugged. “I mean. You did almost kill me.”

“Sure.” Benjamin spoke sarcastically. He continued towards his trailer and called back out, “Guess I’ll just have to owe you one or something.”

Micc’s lips curved into a smirk.

“You’re damn right about that,” he said and turned on his heel, walking over towards the other ringleaders.

 

* * *

 

By the time midnight rolled around, Micc was impatient as ever. The Ringleaders had gathered inside the main tent, a spacious room with walls that were lined in gold. And a ceiling with the mirage of a holographic sky. Micc had to stop his eyes from rolling too hard. Whoever conjured up that mirage was clearly ten levels below Micc’s skill. But of course, no one ever asked him to make the illusions. Even though illusions were his “special” ability.

A couple of aerial silk perfomers, friends and workers at Liziel’s carnival, were suspended under the faux sky, climbing and spinning on the sparkly fabric as orchestral music filled the room. Micc could appreciate the performers, that also included the fire dancers who were a part of Jame’s carnival family. They were talented in their craft, always moving and performing as if they did it effortlessly. But Micc understood the hard work that went behind it. He knew one had to sacrifice a lot to be great. To be worth being the center of the attention. The Ringleaders cheered them on and applauded, amazed at the gracefulness in which they performed their act.

For a while, Micc allowed himself to be awed by their dance. He allowed the music to fill his head and sooth his mind. But soon he found himself back outside the tent, underneath the real sky, a lot cooler than it had been earlier.

He looked around. A carousel. Game stands. Food stands. Rides. All which would’ve been mere silhouettes in the night if it weren’t for the ferris wheel and its bright lights. It creaked idly under the touch of the wind.

Then he noticed something in one of the cabins. A person. With what looked like a leather jacket laying on top of them.

Micc perked up.

“Ben!” He shouted, running towards the ferris wheel; a bad idea for his sore body but his mind was back on Litha Mica. The death stone.

He jumped over the small entrance fence and sprinted up the stairs until he reached the cabin in the middle. Benjamin, who’d been lying down, stirred awaked and sat up, rubbing tiredly at his eyes.

“Who’s yelling,” he asked in a voice that was croaky from sleep.

“I am,” Micc answered. He then watched as Benjamin pulled off the leather jacket, revealing a tattoo of 1’s and 0’s lined around his neck.

No rose tattoo.

Micc also noticed Benjamin’s hair was different. No pompadour. His hair fell wildly to one side of his face, the other side was shaven down.

Then it clicked in Micc’s head.

“Wait. You’re not Benjamin.”

The boy yawned, “What a shame.”

Micc eyed him. He looked dead tired. “You’re his brother aren’t you?”

“How did you guess?” The boy deadpanned. He had a thicker accent than Benjamin, it made his voice slightly more rich and deep. But Micc had no time to admire the differences in the twins. He was getting impatient again.

“Where is he?” he asked.

The boy leaned back on his arms, taking a deep breath. “Let’s see. I was asleep for about…four hours. And before that I haven’t seen Benji—”

Micc clicked his tongue. “Okay, okay. Where would he be right now?”

“Why? Is he in trouble?”

“What? No!” Micc laughed, that fake laugh that always gave away the fact that he was clearly hiding something. “No, I just wanna talk to him.”

The boy gave Micc a cool hard look. It was hard to tell his exact emotions. He had a good poker face. “What time is it,” he said.

Micc shrugged, “A little past midnight I guess.”

Just then, the tent grew alive with a different kind of music. A sound of a drum solo filled the air.

Benjamin’s brother snapped his finger and pointed towards the tent.

“Then that would be him, playing the drums.”

Micc was past small talk. He nodded, muttered thanks and jumped off the ferris wheel platform. Benjamin’s brother called out for him to wait. Micc closed his eyes in annoyance but turned back.

Ben’s brother took the leather jacket and threw it at Micc. It slap him on the face, landing in his arms.

“Give that back to him for me, will you.” The boy said and yawned once more. He crawled back into the cabin. “Thanks.”

Micc groaned and continued towards the tent.

 

* * *

 

The stage where the fire dancers had been performing was now occupied by the carnival’s band. The front rows of chairs had been moved aside to make a dancefloor and which was now occupied by a sea of colorful tailcoats swaying rhythmically to the tunes that filled the spacious room.

After a long and awful conversation about nothing with a couple of ringleaders, Micc—restless and irritated—managed to find his way backstage where he had a clear view of Benjamin slamming away at his drums.

All Micc needed was for Benjamin to let him know where the stone was hidden. But the hard part was trying to get his attention. The boy was lost in the music, eyes half lidded as his arms guided his sticks effortlessly and his foot kept the bass drum in sync with the beat.

Micc briefly wondered how that pompadour stayed neatly in place.

“Focus, imbecile.” He muttered to himself. Luckily, he was quick to think on his feet. He rolled his neck and shoulder, his favorite way of prepping, and touched his amulet.

“Ok Blue. Just a little illusion this time.” He grinned. The blue crystal glowed brightly, almost in relief that Micc wasn’t asking for much this time around.

Micc stretched his arms forwards and began to illustrate the air with his fingers.

A few feet away from him, a butterly materialized in front of Benjamin’s drums. It flapped wildly around. Micc was proud of his creation.

Except. Benjamin simply glanced at it and continued playing.

“Shit.”

The amulet gave a little buzz.

“Shut up, Blue.” Micc retorted. “Butterflies are distracting as fuck.”

Blue continued buzzing. It glowed brightly at its center. And in a flash, a light beam zipped out and zapped Benjamin in the back.

“Hey!” Micc hissed. “Behave. No magic unless I’m the one doing it.”

Blue kept buzzing.

When Micc looked up, he realized Benjamin was looking back at him, still playing but wearing a look of confusion and annoyance.

“Nevermind, Blue.” Micc grinned “Good job.”

He motioned Benjamin to come over.

 

* * *

 

“The hell did you zap me for?” Benjamin scowled after the song had ended and he stepped off stage. Another drummer had stepped in for him.

Micc shrugged. "You weren't paying attention."

Benjamin arched a brow. "Because I was playing? What do you want?"

The boy was still breathing hard. Micc wondered how playing drums could leave someone looking like they just ran across six football fields. Except the pompadour was still in place. Magic, perhaps? Benjamin was still waiting for answer. Crap. 

Tattoos. Micc realized Benjamin was only sporting a white tee. No leather jacket was present to hide the intricate sleeve of tattoos on his arm. _Roses._ That's the first thing Micc noticed until he remembered what Benjamin's brother had tasked him with. 

"Your jacket." Micc spoke up, eyes peeling off Benjamin's torso in time to watch the younger boy's face change. Micc reached behind him, between his back and his cape and pulled out the leather jacket. "Your brother told me to give it back to you."

Benjamin looked tense for a second. He then quickly reached out and took it out of Micc's hands-- a little harshly-- but not that Micc noticed. 

"Thanks." Benjamin muttered as he fumbled to slide it on. "Uh, is that all?"

"I wanted to talk." Micc said.

Although, Micc was beyond small talk by now. He could feel a powerful source of magic pulsating quietly beneath his feet. Not many Ringleaders could sense magic around them. Neither could Micc once. But he had put so much sweat and blood into his training, it had been something that he discovered along the way. The low vibrations that both stones and crystals sent through the ground or the walls, they were faint. Enough to go unnoticed by most but not by Micc. He could feel it through the soles of his boots.

Something was hidden in this carnival. And Micc wanted it.

Benjamin had been taken back by Micc’s words. “Talk? About what?”

Micc had been looking at the ground, studying the low signals. He looked back up and knew there was no other way this could be handled. He gave Benjamin a smile and walked in close. 

“I wanted to talk about how I’m sorry.”

Benjamin titled his head, “You’re sorry?”

Micc nodded, “For what I’m about to do.”

Within seconds, Micc had grabbed onto Benjamin’s shirt, looping his leg behind Benjamin’s own and pushed him onto the ground. Benjamin fell hard. Micc was quick to straddle Benjamin by the hips, using short bursts of his magic to cuff Benjamin’s hands to the ground beneath them.

“What the fuck?” Benjamin groaned through heavy breaths. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I need some information from you.” Micc said it as if it was a casual conversation they started. “Don’t worry, I’m letting you go after—”

“Get off me!” Benjamin yelled. “AMIEL!”

Micc gasped. In the spur of the moment, he shot a burst of magic at Benjamin’s lips, sowing them shut.

Benjamin yelled through his closed mouth.

“Fuck. Sorry, sorry. It’s. It’s an illusion alright? Your lips aren’t really—Ugh, just ** _listen_**. I need you to tell me where the death stone is.”

Benjamin’s body squirmed angrily beneath Micc.

“Hey, would you mind not doing that while—” Micc grunted in annoyance. He decided to climb off Benjamin’s hips. Bad idea. Benjamin’s legs were now free which allowed one of his boots to successfully collide with Micc’s mouth. 

“Fuck!” Mic stumbled back and covered his mouth. When he pulled away, his white glove was stained a dark red. He quickly scanned his mouth with his fingers and luckily, all his teeth were still intact.

Benjamin was about to kick once more but Micc cuffed his legs down just in time.

“Quit it!” He hissed. “I’m not here to hurt you. Fuck, I’m not even here to steal the stone, alright. I just wanna borrow it.”

Benjamin muffled out two syllables. He was glaring intensely.

Micc glared back. “That sounded like _fuck you_. Was that a fuck you, Ben? Cause fuck you too. Just tell me where the stone is. I know it’s here.”

Benjamin muffled another two words, faintly resembling “what stone”

Micc pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling with all the irritation he'd built up throughout the night. “What stone. The fucking **death stone**. Enchanted Lepidolite. _LITHA MICA_.”

Benjamin’s stop squirming. His eyes widen for a fraction of a second.

Micc caught every change in his body and boy did his heart begin to pound.

“Fuck. It _**is**_ here, isn’t it?” Micc whispered.

Benjamin resumed the angry squirming.

Micc crawled forward excitedly. He looked down at Benjamin. “I’m gonna remove the illusion from your mouth okay. And you’re going to tell me where the stone is hidden.”

Another muffled “ _fuck you_ ”.

Micc sucked his teeth, exhausted beyond belief. “Fine. You know what? I’ll just burn this entire carnival down until I find it.”

Benjamin actually laughed at this, as much as his sewed mouth let him. Micc was offended.

“What you don’t believe me?” Micc glared. He closed his fist, raising it above Benjamin and opened it; a wild red flame materializing from within his palm. It wasn’t actual fire, just an illusion. But it was convincing enough to make Benjamin go still with caution. The boy beneath him groaned in defeat.

“Are you going to tell me?” Micc asked once more.

Benjamin was quiet for a moment. Looking anywhere but directly at Micc. Then he closed his eyes and slowly nodded his head.

Micc’s heart leapt. The wild flame vanished and Micc took his index and middle finger and swiped them across Benjamin’s lips, dissolving the illusion.

Benjamin was still breathing heavily.

“That feel better?” Micc asked. He added after a moment. “Don’t answer cause I don’t care. Just tell me where the stone is.”

“I don’t know.” Benjamin said. His body was tired from fighting. His hair slightly messy from the squirming. Micc didn’t know why he found that distracting for a second.

He blinked back to reality. Within a second, Benjamin’s cuffs had vanished. Micc stood up.

“Jeez, if I had know you’d be this difficult, I would’ve just fought Amiel for it instead. Which I guess I gotta do now.”

Benjamin examined his wrists, seeing no damage inflicted from all the restraint. Micc’s final words finally digested in his head and he quickly turned to stop Micc in his tracks.

“Hey wait!”

Micc sighed impatiently. “ _What?_ ”

“I don’t know where Amiel’s hidden the stone, okay?” Benjamin stood up. “But I do know there’s more than one.”

Micc clapped. “Congrats. So do I, that doesn’t help.” He continued on his way but stopped once more after Benjamin added,

“And I know where you can get one.”

Now that caught his attention. He turned back, eyeing Benjamin skeptically. Although a part of him was already glowing with excitement again.

“Really?” He asked.

Benjamin nodded. “I can tell you.”

“And why would you do that.” Micc scoffed. “I just had you cuffed to the ground.”

Benjamin was glaring again. He walked up to Micc, staring him down. “Cause I’d rather you fight someone else than Amiel for that shit.”

  
Micc stared back. There was a smile playing on his lips. “Why _does_ Amiel have that stone? What good does it serve them?”

“What good would it serve you?” Benjamin fired back.

Micc’s smile broke into a grin. He took his time scanning Benjamin’s face. It was faintly lit by the red and blue stage lights. Micc could spot a mole on his upper left cheek. But what caught his attention the most were his eyes.

“You have really soft eyes, Ben.” Micc stated casually, like he was announcing the weather.

Benjamin blinked. His expression did a complete 180. From glaring daggers to raised brows in complete surprise.

“W-what?” He stuttered.

“It makes it hard for you to look intimidating.” Micc was still grinning. There was a hint of smugness to his tone. He stepped back, taking a deep breath and stretching his arms.

“SO,” he clapped his hands. “When do we start our journey?”

It took a few moments before Benjamin was back on earth, tuning in to Micc’s words.

“Sorry, what? Our journey?”

“Well, you said you’d showed me where I could get another death stone.”

Benjamin was definitely back on earth, shaking his head and filling up with all his fiery emotions. Anger being the most prominent one.

“No, no,” he objected. “I said I’d TELL you where you could get one. Like hell I’m going with you.”

“Why not?” Micc asked innocently as he slid his blood-stained glove off his hand to clean with his magic.

“Well let’s see. Oh yeah, you chained me to the floor.” Benjamin said angrily.

“At least I didn’t almost kill you.”

“That was not my fault!”

Micc rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay. You’re right. It wasn’t your fault. And chaining you to the ground was pretty shitty. I’m sorry. I _panicked_ , alright? I seriously wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

Benjamin scoffed, “Sure…and let me guess, you weren’t serious about burning the carnival down either?”

Micc laughed, “ _God no_. I’d get stripped of my magic by Corvus. Come on, in a place where all the Ringleaders are hanging out? How did you even believe that?”

Benjamin was quick to respond, “Cause you seem like an asshole.”

Micc was rendered speechless for a second. He couldn’t help but nod, “That is true, yes. An unintentional asshole though, I promise.”

The taller boy looked tired. “Look, whatever your name is, there's a map that can lead you to the stone. Do you want it or not? Because I'm pretty much done for the night. ”

“But you’re the map,” Micc grinned. “Cause you’re coming with.”

“No, I’m **not**.” Benjamin stated, clearly annoyed. “Why do you want me to go? We don’t even know each other. I don’t even know your name!”

“Micc.”

“What?”

“My name. It’s Micc.” He ran his hand through his copper hair once more. He slid on his newly cleaned glove and gave Benjamin a smile.

Benjamin repeated the name silently, as if trying to understand the word. He shook his head. “Okay, Micc. We still don’t know each other. And I’m still not going. So, if you could wait right here, I’ll go get the map—”

“I have it right here.” Micc waved it in the air, between his fingers. It was a small parchment paper rolled up into a scroll.

Benjamin did a doubletake. “What? How did you? That was in Amiel’s desk!”

“I know.” Micc smiled.

“But how did you—”

“I’m a magician, Benjamin. Is it really a surprise?”

Benjamin sighed. “Just don’t lose—”

“Don’t worry it’s a copy.” Micc said, opening his jacket to place the map in his breast pocket.

Benjamin raised his hands, “Ok so there you have it. You got everything. Have fun, Micc. Goodnight.”

He turned to leave.

“You really don’t want to go?” He heard Micc say. He turned around and found the shorter boy opening up the back panel of the tent.

“Why would I?” Benjamin asked.

Micc shrugged, “I don’t know. For the thrill maybe. It’s a risky adventure. Beats the ticket booth don’t you think?” His lips were curled into an innocent smile but Benjamin could see the smirk in his eyes and the hint of dare in his tone. Micc continued to untie the panel.

If Micc was honest, he wasn’t sure why he was even asking Benjamin to come along as well. It just felt like something he should do. He didn’t know a single thing about Benjamin but at the same time he knew a lot. From Amiel.

And from what he heard, Ben was a risky kid, himself. A daring kid. Eva called him a little devil.

Micc was going to **_need_** that. Two troublemakers are better than one. Two wrongs can certainly make some kind of right....right?

There was only one way to get him to come. 

“Micc. I’m not going.” Benjamin declared, as confidently as he could.

“Well that sucks,” Micc pouted from behind the loose tent panel. “Cause you see, Ben. I was hoping to take my car on this little adventure”

Micc pulled the panel and down it went, revealing the back perimeters of the carnival. But more interestingly, revealing a black camaro parked neatly in the center. God what a wave of relief he felt to know he pulled down the right panel. He had forgotten exactly where he'd park that thing. 

“The thing is though, I can’t drive.” Micc kept his pout and relished the change in expression on Benjamin’s face. It was as if he’d been a gameshow host and he had just revealed the prize Benjamin had won.

Benjamin’s lip parted in awe. Micc grinned, skipping over and draping his arm around the taller boy’s shoulder.

“Isn’t she a beauty.” Micc sighed dreamily. “1969 with red interior. My heart just breaks knowing I can’t drive her.”

He reached in his pockets and pulled out the keys, dangling them in front of Benjamin.

“Come on, Ben. If you come along, she’s all yours.”

Benjamin, who had been awestruck, finally turned to look at Micc.

“When do we leave.” He said.


	2. Las Vegas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Micc finally convinces Benjamin to tag along on his search for a "Death Stone". With a half-assed plan they travel to Las Vegas and to no one's surprise--except maybe Micc--they find themselves in deep shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter sat on a shelve for weeks, unfinished. It also suffered a few rewrites. So, thank you to everyone who patiently waited for it. I hope it's a much of a wild ride to read for you as it was a wild ride for me to write. 
> 
> As always, comments are greatly appreciated. (Honestly just tell me how much you hate Micc please)

The more Micc stared at the map the more he could feel parts of his brain beginning to melt within his skull.

For the most part, he knew not to expect a simple path of marching ants that ended with the infamous "X" marks the spot. This was Amiel's map and that meant there would be, at the very least, a long and winding road covered in strategically placed obstacles. But to his surprise, the withered parchment held none of that. In fact, it looked more like a long list of riddles.

The good news? He had solved the first two lines which had read:

 

"A place drowning in lights,

A Great power and the fall of a King."

 

It had taken him a few moments—more than he'd like to admit, in fact—and in the end, he concluded they were directions to a casino on the Las Vegas strip. On any other day, under any other circumstances this would've sounded like an invitation for a great time. Yet, as with all the good news he received, they were always followed by the bad news.

And the bad news was, the map was leading him directly to Victor Clement; someone he hadn't seen let alone spoken a single word to for a couple of months. Maybe it had even been a year. Micc couldn't quite tell. All he remembered were angry shouts, bodies being slammed into walls and a few unforgettable bruises.

Any other person and a couple of months would've been enough time to cool off. But this was _Victor Clement_ , a guy whose pride surprisingly outmatched Micc’s own. And if Micc could just barely remember the solid punch he threw in that night, Victor was bound to remember every second down to the slow-motion replay in 4k. And the thing about having a surprise reunion with someone like Victor after an incident _like that_ well, it always guaranteed that you’d continue right where you left off.

Long story short: Michelangelo Hayes had his work cut out for him.

Because getting to the Excalibur casino was just the first half of the trip. The second half was to steal from Victor himself.

“Oh my god.”

A soft gasp sailed to Micc’s ears. He took his eyes off the map and looked over to find Benjamin leaning down next the Camaro, face plastered against the driver’s window, mouth opened in awe.

For a split second, Micc wondered what Benjamin was doing there. Micc was entirely used to working solo but he quickly remembered why he had convinced the taller boy to tag along. Anyone close to Amiel meant potential access to valuable information about the death stone. And although Benjamin had already told him he knew nothing about it, Micc was willing to bet that was nothing short of a lie.

“Like what you see?” Micc said with a smirk.

Benjamin almost immediately replied excitedly, “Hell yeah I do!”

He peeled himself off the window, looked at the key dangling from his hand, and bit his lip. Then he looked at Micc with the kind of eagerness a child would have minutes away from opening presents at Christmas.

“Can I?” He asked meekly.

It took Micc a few seconds to register the request being asked. He was back to wondering what kind of enchanted gel Benjamin used to keep that pompadour neatly in place. Only a slim lock of hair curved out and dove into his eyes.

Back to reality. Time was ticking.

“Yeah.” Micc waved Benjamin off as he walked around the car over to the passenger door. “Start her up, we gotta fucking go.”

If Micc heard correctly, a little squeal emitted from the other side of the car. Micc slumped into his seat, unbothered by the awkward way in which the cape of his uniform was pressed behind him. Benjamin carefully slipped in, breathlessly whispering a variety of curse words as his eyes wandered all over the interior of the car.

“Holy shit is right.” Micc agreed albeit more unenthusiastically. He dug into his pocket to pull out the map once more. “Okay Ben, next stop is Las Vegas.”

“Las Vegas,” Benjamin repeatedly dreamily. Then it struck him. His eyes went wide. “Wait, what?”

Micc continued scanning the map. “Las Vegas,” He said. “You know, gambling city. Elvis Presley—”

“I know what Las Vegas—” Benjamin trailed off and sucked in a chunk of air, leaning back and letting it out in one slow hesitant breath. “Oh boy…okay. Uh.”

“What?” Micc asked nonchalantly, eyes flying over to Benjamin. “Questions? Concerns?”

“Yeah, a lot actually,” Benjamin let out a short laugh; one that was a fair mix of nervousness and sarcasm. “Starting with what the hell am I doing?”

“Sitting in the car of your dreams?” Micc replied with a cheeky grin, although he had a sinking feeling he knew where this was going.

Benjamin stared at Micc, the eagerness in his eyes now replaced by a more sober yet at the same time more uncertain look. He looked away, out his window where El Carnaval de Cuentos sat quietly underneath the night sky just a few hundred feet away.

“I can’t do this.” Benjamin said.

 _Aaaand_ there it was.

“You can’t what now?” Micc froze in place, eyebrows raised as if he had absolutely no doubt that Benjamin would commit to this adventure one hundred percent.

“Look” Benjamin sighed, dropping a hand on the dashboard. “This is a very beautiful car.”

 _Debatable_ , Micc thought to himself, _absolutely debatable_.

Then a chuckled escaped Benjamin’s lips. “But as much as I’d love to drive it,” He looked at Micc and gave him an odd look, “there’s no fucking way I’m going with you to Las Vegas.”

About a minute rolled by in which Micc took the time to process his reaction and how he felt. A part of him wanted to shrug, open the door and say, “Cool, get out then” but that was immediately replaced by this strange panicky feeling of losing something crucial to his so-called adventure. Not Benjamin, of course. Just the information he possessed. And the fact that he kind of, maybe had already planned this Victor heist with two people in mind. It would take too much of his precious time to re-plan. No, he was going to need Benjamin.

Benjamin raised a brow as if he was expecting an answer and Micc realized his mouth had been flapping open and closed like a fish. He straightened up in his seat.

“Okay, Ben. Let’s think rationally about this.” He started and Benjamin instantly cut him off.

“I am thinking rationally.” He said and let out another short laugh. “Micc I don’t _know you_. Also, did you forget you attacked me on the first day we met?”

“That was so long ago.”

“That was _YESTERDAY."_

“True, but I did apologize. _Sincerely_ , if I may add. Shit, I even gave you this car!” Micc patted the dashboard with a proud grin.

Benjamin stared at Micc with a slight look of distaste. He shook his head, “Micc, I can sit here and name a thousand reasons why I shouldn’t go with you—”

“Okay but do you only need one to stay?”

Benjamin blinked, “What?”

Micc gave a slight roll of his eyes, “If I gave you one good reason to come along, would you?”

“There isn’t one.” Benjamin responded, but there was mild curiosity peeking behind long eyelashes.

The driver’s door flung open, startling the tall boy. He stared out the door and then looked back at Micc, slightly confused by the sudden action. He saw the amulet around Micc’s neck glowing and figured it was the freckled boy’s doing.

“Okay.” Was all Micc said.

Benjamin was taken back. “O-okay what?”

Micc gestured to the door, “You’re free to go. Bye. Au Revoir. Adieu.”

“Um…okay.”

Benjamin moved to leave but stopped when Micc said, “Just one quick question though.”

Benjamin waited.

“Have you ever been to Las Vegas?”

The tall boy narrowed his eyes, trying to see if he could figure out where Micc was going with this. He was hesitant with his answer. “…No.”

“Really?” Micc gave a fake, yet pretty convincing shocked face. “How strange, doesn’t Amiel take ECDC all across America?”

Benjamin thought for a second. “Well…yeah. But—”

“And you’ve guys never been around Las Vegas?”

“Well, we _HAVE_ —” Benjamin asserted.

“But you’ve always been stuck at the ticket booth, huh?” Micc’s elbow was on the dashboard, head resting on back of his hand. It was hard to tell whether he was smiling or not.

Benjamin didn’t answer. So Micc answered for him.

“Yeah summers are always busy, aren’t they? Lots of people, in and out. I mean _someone’s_ gotta guard the gates, right?”

Benjamin looked away, visibly annoyed. But something about his expression changed. He looked over to where ECDC was stationed. Micc would bet all his money the boy was staring at that ticket booth. And a little part of him jumped in joy. Maybe his schtick was working.

He dared to kick it up a notch. After all, taking risks was all he knew.

“You go ahead though, I’m sure you love what you do. And hey, who am I to take that away from you?” Micc was definitely smiling now. A bit crookedly if one looked closely.

He could see Benjamin’s jaw tensing, eyes closed for a moment.

Micc’s heart raced; anxiously, impatiently.

Benjamin turned back to him with a faint trace of a glare. “What are you really asking, Micc?”

That crooked smile broke into a confident grin. “I’m asking for one night.” He leaned closer, eyes bright, “Just one night Ben. All I need is a little help and hey, I promise you’ll get to experience Las Vegas to the fullest. Shit, I’ll be your tour guide if you want.”

Benjamin seemed to tense slightly at Micc’s sudden closeness. He looked away again.

_Come on. Come on._

Within moments, the door was closed and the Camaro started up. Micc leaned back in surprise, watching as Ben smoothly pulled out of the empty lot they were parked in and onto the road.

He couldn’t help but laugh in relief. “So that’s a yes?”

Benjamin looked at Micc, conflicted with his choice of words. He bit his tongue, grinning in disbelief at his own actions. “It’s a small fuck you to the ticket booth, that’s it.”

“Edgy.” Micc smirked. He let himself fall back on the seat. “I love it.”

“Just tell me where to go.”

 

* * *

 

 

Las Vegas was about an hour away which meant it had been about an hour of nonstop questions from Benjamin Amado. Something Micc should’ve expected but somehow completely flew over his head while planning his scheme. In fact, most of the questions coming out of Ben’s mouth concerned him a bit. For one, he looked completely lost when Micc mentioned that where they were going was Red territory.

_“What’s a red territory?”_

_“You’re kidding, right?”_

Benjamin was in fact, not kidding. He wasn’t aware Reds referred to the Ringleaders that had been trained under the Ringmaster Aquila; a woman Benjamin was also unaware existed up until the moment Micc mentioned her.

Micc was beginning to believe Benjamin might’ve been telling the truth all along in regard to knowing jack shit about the death stone. Which, to be honest, dampened his mood quite a bit.

_“So there’s Reds…blues….?”_

_“Reds, Blues and Golds. How do you not know this Ben, you live with a Ringleader.”_

_“I don’t know! Why should I know this?”_

He had a point. Although, on the contrary, why wouldn’t he know it? After all, Amiel made no attempt to hide the fact that they were close to the twins. And—not that Micc would know—but wasn’t it common to share shit with the people you loved?

_“Jesus, how much **do** you know?”_

_“About Ringleaders?”_

Not much, Benjamin admitted. Even less when it came to magic. Seemed like Amiel kept the lid closed on both. For reasons Micc couldn’t guess. He didn’t have much time to either. They were near Vegas now so Micc continued to lay out the plan for Benjamin; composing his irritated self every time he had to stop midsentence to answer one of the taller boy’s questions.

They were headed to see Lily the Tailor. Of course, Benjamin wanted to know all about her.

_“She’s the one who makes our uniforms.”_

_“You mean **EVERY** ringleader’s uniform?!”_

_“No, just mine.”_

After a few sarcastic responses, Micc gave in and—as kindly as he could—asked Benjamin to hold off on the questions until they reached their destination.

The plan, if one could call it that, was to meet up with Lily who had reluctantly agreed to patch up some outfits the two would wear to Victor’s Masquerade ball. Micc had thanked the Gods for this wonderful opportunity to sneak in with a disguise and well—not stick out like a sore thumb. With their destination also being so close, Micc felt like the stars were aligning just for him on that fine night.

The body of the plan—in other words, what they were to do once they got into Excalibur—was a bit hazy. Why exactly the map was leading him to a ballroom full of Reds was still unknown to Micc. He knew he was there to steal _something_.

He figured Darcy, the only Red aside from Amiel that he could tolerate, would be of some help. After all, that boy always knew something everyone else did not. So, what was there to stress about? As far as Micc saw it, his little scheme was totally solid, fool proof, the perfect heist.

 

* * *

 

 

The Camaro was eventually parked behind some five-star hotel. Benjamin wasn’t one-hundred percent sure it was a five-star hotel but shit, everything in Las Vegas seemed to glow. The strip was alive and buzzing underneath the warm summer sky. Lights decorated the streets and danced on rooftops. Yet as vibrant as the colors were, everything also felt so distant. At least, from where they were which looked like a grimy loading dock of sorts.

Benjamin asked Micc why they couldn’t have just gone through the front to which Micc answered that the hotel in front of them did not exist. _Not really._ But before Benjamin could bombard him with another set of questions, Micc opened the back door and rushed them in.

It was strange to Benjamin that instead of a storage area, he was met with a large decorative room, adorned with silks and all sorts of fabrics draping from walls like lush curtains. Three long velvet sofas rested near each wall. In the middle stood a large wooden wardrobe, no less impressive then the luxurious items surrounding it. Benjamin couldn’t help but gape at all the sophisticated details; gold lining, intricated patterns, colors so rich and deep he almost forgot the vibrancy of Las Vegas sitting just outside the door.

_“You’re late.”_

_“Are you really surprised?”_

It took a moment before Benjamin snapped back into focus and noticed a short middle-aged woman sitting crossed legged on one of the couches. She was grinning at Micc.

“Of course not.” She replied and hopped off the couch, her wild layered skirt flowing as she gracefully skipped over to Micc, pulling him into a tight hug. “Always good to see my little trouble-maker.”

Micc gave Benjamin a brief glance, before prying himself free of the woman’s arms. “Nonsense, Tay. I’m the best behaving kid of the bunch.”

“Right.” She winked with her cheery grin and gave Micc’s arm a sturdy pat before turning her attention to Benjamin. Her brows went up in surprise as she cocked her hip to one side and took her time sizing him up.

Benjamin was easily twice her height yet he couldn’t help but feel like he was only two inches tall being looked at underneath a magnifying glass. Maybe it was her stare. It was amiable but somehow a little intimidating. _Overwhelming._ For him, at least.

“So you’re Micc’s date, huh?” She asked.

“No.” Benjamin quickly answered.

“He’s my plus-one, Tay.” Micc tuned in. He was already walking to the center of the room where the Wardrobe stood. “There’s a difference.”

“Plus-one?” Benjamin shot Micc a look of confusion.

“I’m guessing you forgot the plan already.” Micc didn’t bother to look back. He sized the wardrobe up and took a step back, unzipping his uniform jacket, shrugging it off and tossing it onto one of the couches. As Benjamin watched, he suddenly felt a pair of hands on his hips. He looked down to see Lily eying his waist with a thoughtful pout. She mumbled something along the lines of “Sorry, hope you don’t mind” and lifted a hand off. Within a blink, a short purple light zapped through the air and a tape measure appeared between her fingers.

“I told Micc to get your measurements before you two arrived. But does he ever listen?” She huffed.

“Measurements?” He asked; glance finding its way back to Micc fast enough to catch the freckled boy opening the wardrobe. A rare translucent glow surrounded its doors. Micc stepped inside, disappearing into pitch black. The doors swung shut. “Whoa uh…where did Micc just go?”

Lily gave him a sympathetic smile. “You seem a bit lost, kiddo.”

“I just…” Benjamin struggled to find words. “I’ve never seen a wardrobe do that.” He hesitated, then leaned down and lowered his voice to confess quite timidly, “and honestly, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing here.”

Lily let out a hearty laugh. “Well your guess is as good as mine.” She patted his shoulder. “I’m just here to doll you up for the Masquerade. So, come with me now.”

She led him to the back of the room, which seemed much larger than it did when he first arrived. In fact, there were a couple of subtle changes around the room; the placement of the couches, the colors of the fabrics draped on the wall, and a two large wooden wardrobes that **definitely** weren’t there before. Benjamin took a couple of seconds to scan the room through squinted eyes. If he stayed focused on a particular spot, he was almost certain every part of the room that was out of focus was going through a gradient of change. But the minute his gaze shifted, it stopped. Almost as if he was always just seconds away from catching Lily’s magic at work.

He decided to let it go. He could feel himself getting dizzy.

“What would you prefer? Suit? Cocktail dress? Maybe a stunning gown?”

Lily opened up one of the wardrobes. It was much larger than the one Micc had stepped into.

Way much larger.

“Holy shit…” Benjamin whispered under his breath, staring into the wardrobe where it opened up to a large room filled with rows upon rows of elegant clothing. He walked up, poking his head in, stunned by the bright white walls and the high ceilings within. He poked his head back out and leaned over to the back of the wardrobe, waving his hand around. Nothing. No smokes and mirrors.

“You really are new to magic, aren’t ya?” Lily grinned, pulling Benjamin inside before he could protest. “Kinda odd, seeing as Micc told me you live with…Amiel was it?”

“Uh, yeah.” Benjamin responded, more in awe now than ever. Lily continued talking but her voice faded away as Benjamin spotted a red gown hugging the curves of a mannequin that stood at the end of a row. He walked over, a couple of garments on hangers glittered and sparkled as he passed them but his eyes were glued to the red silk.

“Want that one?” He heard Lily say. He turned to see her smiling at the gown and then him, taking her measuring tape and swinging it around the mannequin’s waist. “Yeah…I think we can definitely get you into this gown.

Benjamin flushed. “Oh…uh. No. It’s okay. I was just. Um. Looking at it.”

Lily looked up and quirked a brow. “You sure?”

Benjamin nodded, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. “Yeah. I think a simple suit will work.”

Lily took a long look at him, her smile easing down to something gentler. “I agree. Besides, you look like the type that can rock anything. Even _simple_.”

She winked and walked down the rows of the clothing. “Come on, I got just the thing for you.”

 

* * *

 

 

Micc hopped out of the wardrobe, adjusting the tie on his suit.

“TAY.” He whined. “I couldn’t find the masks. Where did you put them?”

Lily popped out of the wardrobe that was now resting near the one Micc had just exited.

“On the couch behind you, kiddo.” She said.

Micc swiveled around until he spotted the couch littered in piles of masks and other accessories, “Oh, I knew that.”

He quickly rummaged through them, settling on a white feathered mask. He tapped his lips in thought. Then delved into the pile again before pulling out a pair of wings with adjustable straps. He grinned.

“Michelangelo, what do you plan to do with your hair?” Lily walked over tugging Micc’s arm to turn him around and take a good look at the mess of wild auburn hair that fell over his face.

“My hair’s fine,” Micc protested.

“In what realm?” Lily scoffed, rubbing her fingers against her palms until a white glow appeared. She then brushed her fingers through Micc’s hair. It curved under her touch and stayed in placed. Instantly styled.

“Gee, thanks.” He mumbled.

The doors of the wardrobe behind them burst opened. “Fuck!” Benjamin shouted as he stumbled out in a plum tuxedo, quickly grabbing onto the door to regain his balance before he fell. He looked at Lily and Micc apologetically. 

“My uh…cape got stuck on the door.” He said, straightening himself up.

His hair was different; the pompadour replaced by a style parted to the side. There was still that little curved lock of hair that dove into his eyes. Micc blinked, unaware of how long he’d been staring.

“Wow.” He said.

“What?” Benjamin asked, taking a quick glance at himself to see if there was something wrong with his suit.

“Nothing.” Micc replied and turned back to the couch to grab a mask. He walked over to Benjamin, handing it to him and patting his arm. “Nothing, you just look really good.”

“Oh…”

“You ready to go?” Micc grinned. But before Benjamin could answer, Micc was sliding on his mask and wings and walking towards the exit.

Benjamin looked at Lily. She was back on the couch, smoothing out some feathers on one of the masks.

“Have fun.” Her smile was sincere.

Benjamin eased up. He could use some fun.

 

* * *

 

 

The Excalibur Casino stuck out like a sore thumb. Of all the modern, elegant hotels and casinos lined up on the strip, this one looked as if it had jumped straight out of a children’s book. It was designed—rather comically—as a castle; by no doubt a tribute of sorts to the story from which its name was derived. Although he was only vaguely familiar with the story of King Arthur, Benjamin felt certain a castle with bright red and blue cone roofs fell short of living up to the iconic tale.

But before he could speak further on the matter, Micc had grabbed him by the arm and hastily dragged him inside, slipping past a large group of well dressed, well drunk entrepreneurs. The interior of Excalibur was less of a sore sight. It still held most of the architectural design of a castle but with a good flare of modernism. Gold, gold, or the illusion of gold was integrated into every crown molding and door casing.

There was a harmonious mixture between the sounds of the slot machines and the roaring laughter of vanishing sobriety. Benjamin took in all in, a wide smile spreading across his lips. Amiel’s carnival had stopped at plenty of interesting places before but never did Benjamin get the chance to experience fully experience them. Sure, maybe to most people Las Vegas was overrated, over hyped, cliché; but to Benjamin this might’ve well been a whole new world.

“So where’s the party?” Benjamin shouted over the wild cheers coming from a table of black jack.

Micc briefly looked back to flash a grin, “Right over there.” He pointed somewhere near a row of slot machines. In other words, a dead end.

Benjamin squinted his eyes, thinking there might’ve been a door somewhere off to the side or perhaps behind the gambling machines. But nothing. Just a wall.

“Uh, where exactly?” He asked again.

Micc stopped them in front of a slot machine, not unlike the rest. He showcased it with jazz hands.

“Here!” Micc winked. “Tada.”

Benjamin’s face fell into an unamused expression.

“Are you serious.” He deadpanned. “We dressed up to play a slot machine?”

Micc laughed. “Yes and No.” He dug into his pocket and took out a silver coin. He handed it over to Benjamin. “Go on, try it.”

Benjamin took a good look at the coin. There was a wolf’s head in the center made of what looked like rubies. He then glanced at the slot machine, glowing in the dimmed lighting of the room. The logo within the casing was also a wolf. “RED MOON” it read.

Nothing too out of the ordinary. Besides a weird coin.

He squinted his eyes at Micc, “Is this a joke?”

Micc smirked. “You think I put on these ridiculous wings just to play a prank on you, Ben?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Micc took a deep breath. “We’ll work on this trust thing later. Just, put the coin in the slot for me, will you?”

Benjamin hesitated. Then he realized the more he thought about it, the more stupid he’d look if it was indeed some foolish joke. So, he slid the coin in and went for the handle.

“Wait.” Micc stopped him. He quickly slid on his gloves and rubbed his fingers against his thumbs, producing a similar white glow Lily had conjured earlier. In one swift movement, he ran his fingers through his hair, altering the color from auburn to a pale blonde.  He gave Benjamin a cheeky grin. “Can’t exactly have anyone noticing me.”

Benjamin was unsure of what he meant by that. But at that point, he was unsure of a lot of things, including what the point of the putting the coin in the slot machine was. Or what is what going to do.

Micc took of his gloves, jamming them into the pockets of his slacks and slid the mask over his face. “Ready?”

Benjamin wasn’t sure what to be ready for.

“I guess?” He said and pulled the handle.

A force rippled through the room. Benjamin felt it spreading from head to toe. It was an instantaneous change, gone within the blink of an eye. One moment they were in the Casino, then a bright light, like the flash of a camera. Benjamin shut his eyes and when he opened them he was standing in a red lounge with ornate sofas and a stylish bar.

Benjamin stumbled back, both in shock and from the force of…whatever had just transported them, if that was even the case.

“What the hell was that?” Benjamin breathed, patting his body. He scanned the room twice over to make sure there were really there. No slot machines to be seen. “And where? Where are we?”

“That,” Micc began, leaning over the bar to grab a bottle of whiskey and some shot glasses, “was a portal. Of sorts.” He poured Benjamin a shot and slid it down the counter over to him. “And I’m guessing that was your first time going through one so…might help if you take a shot or two. Helps with the body shock or something.”

Benjamin took the glass without question and downed the liquor. He blinked hard, body still buzzing slightly. He rubbed his eyes but no matter what he did, the Casino was gone. Shiny tile had been replaced by a plush saxony carpet. Gold accents were now shades of scarlet.

“But where…?”

“Oh we’re still at the Casino.” Micc assured, taking a shot for himself and grimacing at the taste. “ _Ack_ …Just on a different uh…level, you could say.”

“Level?” Benjamin repeated, completely lost. He had only begun to realize the muffled sound of music coming from behind the double doors near the back of the lounge.

“Story for another day, Ben.” Micc slid him another shot. “Take that. And relax. I promised you some fun, didn’t I?” He walked over to the double doors. “and fun you shall have.”

Micc winked and kicked the double doors open.

 

* * *

 

The plan…was a lot more fluid—as Micc put it—then most plans should’ve probably been. Micc assured they were looking at a wonderful opportunity to improvise. But if Benjamin wasn’t so in awe with the club that was hidden behind those two double doors, he’d most likely catch the red flags in Micc’s statement.  Any other person would’ve come to the conclusion that they were looking at an inevitable disaster…at best.

Though Benjamin was quickly captivated by the spacious ballroom before him that he didn’t hear most of what Micc was saying. His eyes were immediately drawn to the domed ceiling from which a couple of chandeliers hung. The candles burned with intense colors, everchanging. It was hard to tell whether it was them that illuminated the room or the columns of crystal bulbs that lined the walls. The dancefloor was crowded; a wave of bodies dancing to the beat of song Benjamin could feel pulsating through the floor. Despite the luminous fire and glow, the ballroom remained for the most part, very dim. He could spot feathered masks and the occasional reflection of the light off sequined dresses.

Past that, everything remained in secrecy.

“Did you hear me?”

Benjamin turned around. For a second, Micc looked unrecognizable with the white feathered mask and blonde hair.

“Sorry what?”

Micc stared, slack-jawed—perhaps offended—then he quickly composed himself with a smile and locked arms with Benjamin, leading him to the dancefloor.

“I said go have _fun_.”

Benjamin was lightly pushed into the crowd. He turned around, giving Micc a look of confusion.

“Wait is this part of the plan?” He half-shouted over the heavy bass of the music.

Micc’s only response was an illusion of a smiley face emoticon he drew in the air with the tip of his finger. The pink glow swirled and faded as he turned on his heel and disappeared into the crowd near the bar. 

 

* * *

 

 

The good news was Micc had found Darcy rather quickly.

He was sprawled across a pool table, taking shots and making a group of Reds laugh hysterically. It took a while before Micc could successfully pull him aside. A drunk Darcy had little to no attention span and an eagerness to participate in hundreds of conversations simultaneously. When he finally managed to drag him out of his lively social bubble and into one of the empty table booths built into the back wall of the club, Darcy was still cheerily rambling away, focusing his attention now on Micc’s silvery locks.

“You know for a second, I didn’t know it was you,” He laughed. “Wowie, that’s a good color. When did you dye it? Did you bleach it? I kinda wanted a blonde streak…did you do it yourself? Got a stylist?”

“Darce, it’s glamour.” Micc answered shortly, pulling out the map and unrolling it on the table.

Darcy booed, disappointed in Micc’s confession. It took yet another while before Micc guided Darcy’s drunk self onto a conversation about the map. Luckily for him, Darcy was immediately intrigued. And though he was far from sober, he was still able to chuck out theories on what item the map was requiring.

A couple of people walked by the booth, noticing Darcy and once again, pulled him into a conversation of their own. Micc bit his tongue in annoyance but fortunately, he already had the information he needed.

Now all that was left was to find a way into Victor’s safe, located somewhere within the other dozen portals scattered within the casino.

“Is this your date, Darcy?” Micc heard one of the Ringleaders say. Another was curious whether or not Micc was part of the Gold Family. They eyed him curiously. 

 _I’m Micc you dickwads,_ he wanted to say but then he quickly remembered he wasn’t exactly looking like himself and for a damn good reason too.

Instead he resorted to telling them that yes, he indeed was Darcy’s date and oh my look at the time, they were awfully late for…something. He dragged the shorter boy away.

“You think I’d take you as a date?” Darcy yelled over the music.

Micc turned back with a smirk. “Wouldn’t you?”

They maneuvered their way through the crowd, bumping shoulders, spilling drinks. Micc was sure someone’s tequila sunrise was soaking through his suit. He didn’t care. He was losing patience again.

They ended back in lounge where Micc decided he was—again—past any small talk and went straight to the point. He figured the shorter and quicker he asked for things, the faster this whole process would be. But things only went as planned in Micc’s head. Very rarely did they ever come to fruition. So, when he had hopes of asking Darcy to steal a vial from Victor’s safe and everything panning out all neat and dandy, he was left with a very different outcome instead:

Darcy had quickly sobered up with a waker’s potion just to fully comprehend Micc’s outlandish request.

“You want me to do _what_?”

“Darcy, you’re only one with ridiculously amazing teleportation skills here.”

Darcy didn’t even take the chance to appreciate Micc’s compliment.

“So?” He responded incredulously, then leaned closer and hissed, “That doesn’t mean I can rob from Victor fucking Clement. Are you kidding me right now?”

Micc groaned in annoyance. “Geez, Darce we’re not robbing his whole goddamn safe. Come on, it’s just a tiny vial, he won’t even notice!”

Darcy took his turn to groan with the same level of annoyance. He undid his suit jacket and planted his hands on his hips, thinking. “Why do you even need wishing oil? Did you lose your socks? Cause a simple locating spell will work you know.”

Questions. Micc _loathed_ them.

He was doing a good job about keeping this personal, risky adventure of his on the downlow. After all, searching for a death stone wasn’t exactly something he was supposed to be doing in the first place. And inviting eyes and ears into his plan would only bring up hundreds of other questions that Micc was absolutely not willing to deal with.

So he came up with a false reason right on the spot.

“I’m looking for my father, okay?”

The change in Darcy’s expression almost made Micc feel guilty about lying. _Almost._ A bigger part of him was relishing the fact that Darcy’s apologetic frown meant he bought into it and Micc was back in the safe zone.

Darcy was quiet for a while. He ran a hand through his hair, looked around the club and even snatched a glass off a waiter’s tray as they passed by, downing the liquor in one gulp. He was tapping his foot in thought. And when he finally looked back, Micc could tell he wasn’t happy with his decision. It was full of pending regret which only resonated with the butterflies in Micc’s stomach.

“You _owe_ me, Micc.”

Jackpot.

 

* * *

 

To anyone other than magicians and enchanters, the tiny red pill in Micc’s hand might’ve been mistaken for an Advil. Or at least, some type of drug. It was a sour pill when you bit into it. It didn’t dissolve or break into tiny dry particles. It merely popped and released a bitter smoke that traveled into the body and allowed two minds to briefly communicate.

Darcy’s voice came in with some static at first. It had been a long time since Micc took a HMS pill. In fact the last time he could remember tasting the sour smoke was during his training days back at Corvus’ base. Years ago.

He gave himself a minute or so to focus his mind. Slowly, Darcy’s voice came in loud and clear.

Ten minutes.

That’s all it was going to take for him to steal the goods. For the task of searching through about two dozen of Victor’s portals, that was an impressive estimated time and Micc had no doubt that Darcy could do it.

While Darcy’s ramblings of instant regret swam through Micc’s head, the blonde headed back into the club in search for his Plus One. It was an unexpected challenge but he finally found him near the raised staged, laughing and having an awfully good time with a girl in a red cocktail dress. Her brown curls bounced as he twirled her around; both keeping good time with the beat of the music.

Just as Micc approached, the song faded out to a slower beat.

“Ben—” Micc began.

“Oh there you are!” The girl grinned, pulling Micc closer to them. “I was keeping your date company. He’s a great dancer!”

She handed Benjamin off, linking the two boy’s hands together. Benjamin was still laughing along as he instinctively placed his other hand on the blonde’s lower back.

“…what?” Micc watched as she went off and joined a group of people near the tables. He looked back at their intertwined hands and then up at Benjamin. “What are you doing?”

“Mhm? What?” Benjamin looked down with a dreamy smile, still off in some sort of paradise. He took a second glance at how close Micc was. Then he realized where both his hands were and suddenly he was shaking off his drunk daze and taking a step back, awkwardly. “OH. Uh, sorry.”

“No wait, wait.” Micc stepped forward, closing the distance between them once more. “This is actually a good idea. The glamour’s going to wear off any time now. You’re tall so, you can at least hide me if I need it.”

Sure enough, Benjamin noticed the blonde begin to fade back into auburn. He allowed Micc to grab his hand once more. This time it was Micc who took the lead as they attempted to follow the tempo of the waltz sailing through the speakers.

Micc wasted no time; he quickly filled Benjamin in on the plan. Darcy was still checking in every other minute. The minute he got his hands on the wishing oil, he was to take it to the Camaro that parked behind the Excalibur and let Micc know as soon as possible.

Benjamin looked like he had a million questions on the tip of his tongue, which Micc was able to prevent from flowing out by reaching into his pocket and pressing a tiny vial of waker’s potion to Benjamin’s lips.

“Open.” Micc said. When Benjamin gave both Micc and the vial a suspicious look, Micc rolled his eyes. “You’re driving remember. Can’t have you drunk.”

Benjamin took the potion, after some hesitation. He grimaced at the taste and groaned at its affect.

“Fuck,” He hissed. “Is it supposed to feel like a whack to the head?”

“Worse, actually.” Micc smiled. “But hey, that means you weren’t so drunk after all.”

— _Vial’s in the car_ —

Micc stepped on Benjamin’s foot.

“OW.” Benjamin yelped. “Are **_you_** drunk?”

“No, honestly I just suck at dancing.” Micc confessed with a wave of his hand. “Doesn’t matter though, we got the vial—”

_—Wait…..are you….dancefloor—_

“Huh?” Micc said.

“I didn’t say anything.” Benjamin was still glaring slightly, pulling apart from Micc to check his foot.

“Not you, Ben.” Micc shushed him. “Darcy what was that?”

_—Are you on the dancefloor? Micc you….leave…He’s walking toward—_

“ _What?_ Am I on the dancefloor?” Micc covered his ears with his hands. The waltz ended and another lively song began to pump through the speakers. “Ugh, goddamn this music! I can’t focus!”

Micc pointed at Benjamin’s cape. “Can I?”

Benjamin shot him another weird look filled with suspicion. “Can you what?”

Micc waved him off and took Benjamin’s cape, wrapping it around his head as he buried his face into Benjamin’s chest.

Benjamin tensed up. “What…are you doing?”

“Trying to focus!” He heard Micc’s muffled voice vibrate against his chest. “Darcy what did you say?”

_—I SAID VICTOR’S BEHIND YOU—_

Micc popped out from underneath Benjamin’s cape. “Oh quit bullshitting!” He shouted.

“Who’s bullshitting?” said a voice that made Micc go completely still for a few seconds. A voice he hadn’t heard in quite a while. It was still husky, still demanding and—as Micc slowly turned around to find a tall man in a burgundy tuxedo— it still belonged to no one else but Victor Clement.

_—Told you—_

Micc would be lying if he said his heart didn’t sink at least a little in fear. Though it had very little to do with Victor. Sure, he was a couple of inches taller with broad shoulders and an intense stare that would have you wondering whether or not he was seconds away from sucker punching you in the throat. But, Micc wasn’t afraid of any of that. For as rocky as their past had been, Micc _knew_ Victor Clement. It’d been a year since the last time they spoke and Victor still had his usual scruff and sandy brown curls—albeit he cleaned up rather nicely. Micc figured not much had actually changed.

What scared Micc was the possibility of not getting away with that _vial_. But he wasn’t about to let that happen.

Slowly, his lips curled into a smile; a deviant one at that.

“Victor.” He said, taking his time to drag out his name. “How lovely to see you again.”

Victor dug his hands into his slacks pockets as he sized Micc up. “I can’t say the same.”

It didn’t take much for Benjamin to be certain that the man before them was Victor. Even though they both appeared quite levelheaded, there was enough obvious tension between the two to suffocate the entire crowd in the club. It was lingering between every one of their movements. From the way Micc’s back straightened and shoulder’s squared. To the way Victor’s eyes lowered as he handed Micc a glass of champagne.

Benjamin might’ve noticed a million other things if it weren’t for Darcy who caught his attention from behind a column near the back. He was signaling something Benjamin couldn’t understand, so the taller boy shrugged.

Darcy face palmed himself and pointed to the doors that lead to the lounge. Benjamin titled his head in confusion. There was _definitely_ something being said here.

The young ringleader tried a couple of more times, receiving the shame clueless shrug from Benjamin, until he banged his head against the column in defeat and quickly slid on a pair of white gloves. He began to write in the air, a bright red glow forming letters.

“GET OUT” he spelled, and in even bigger letters he finished with the word “NOW” underlining it a couple of times with frantic emphasis.

Oh, 

Benjamin didn’t understand Darcy’s signals of distress as he looked back at Victor and Micc and everything seemed fairly under control. In fact, Victor was leaving. But then he took a good look at Micc and something was off. Micc was staring at his glass. 

“You okay?” Benjamin nudged him. 

“Did you get Darcy’s message.” Micc said. He looked at Benjamin, suddenly snapping back into a smirk. 

“Yeah, he said we should get out.” Benjamin replied. He paused and then added, with some emphasis, “ _Now._ ” 

“He’s right.” Micc bit his tongue. “This drink was laced. Which means Victor knows we have something of his.” 

“ _Laced_?” Benjamin half-shouted. “What the hell did you drink it all for then?” 

Micc tossed the glass over his shoulder and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Because, Ben. I only noticed _just now_.” 

“ _Just now_?”

Micc groaned, “ ** _Yes_** , just n—”

“Hello, everyone.” Victor’s voice boomed through the speakers, stopping Micc mid-sentence. They swerved around and found the Ringleader sitting on a stool on the raised stage, mic pressed to his lips. The crowd threw some drunken cheers his way. “I can see you’re all having a lovely night. But it’s been brought to my attention that a few of my possessions have gone…missing.”

Victor was sporting a charismatic smile as he said that. As he scanned the crowd and let his gaze fall on Micc.

“That’s our cue.” Micc said, grabbing a hold of Benjamin’s arm.

Suddenly, two giant canines emerged from behind the stage curtains. Benjamin’s eyes went wide.

“Are those…wolves?”

If they were, he’d never seen anything like them. Victor was a tall man and even as he rested on the stool, the canines just about reached the top of his head. Their fur was an intense black, with very little light reflecting off it. Their eyes were just as dark but their fangs were stark white as they snarled. Benjamin was almost sure he could feel the low growls vibrate off the walls. 

Victor was still talking. 

“…So I do hope you don’t mind if Belle and Bella wander around for a bit. They’re completely harmless.” He stroked their fur. Eyes still set on Micc. “Unless of course, you have something of mine.” 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” 

Micc laughed nervously, tugging on Benjamin’s arm. “Yeah, Ben? We…should start running.” 

“Now?” Benjamin’s voiced wavered. 

“ _NOW_.” Micc shouted.

 

* * *

 

 

They barely made it halfway through the crowd when Belle and Bella sprung off the stage with loud growls. The club’s main lights dimmed all the way down, only leaving the bright flashes of the strobing lights which made it even harder to see where they were going. And worse, where Belle and Bella were. The canines were swift, breezing through the oblivious crowd who had gone back to jumping and dancing to the beat of the heavy bass bursting through the speakers. To them, the huge wolf like creatures weren’t even there. They were mere shadows slipping between a sea of moving bodies.

“The portal!” Micc shouted. He let go of Benjamin’s arm and grabbed his hand instead, pulling him towards the doors that led to the lounge. 

Every time Benjamin blinked, he could see tufts of black fur, the deep red of gums shiny with saliva and the sharp angles of white teeth. He felt a low growl creeping behind his back, a warm breath touching the back of his neck. 

He convinced himself not to turn around and instead, gripped Micc’s hand harder. They pushed through the doors and fell onto the ground. Benjamin could see Belle and Bella now, running up the stairs. 

The doors slammed shut just in time. A white glow appeared around them. 

“What the fuck was that?” Benjamin shouted, out of breath. 

“Come on, the barrier won’t hold for long.” 

They both scrambled to their feet. Micc ran to a floor mirror and swooped a gloved hand along its surface, producing a ripple in the glass. Benjamin had little to no time to marvel at it’s strange liquid appearance. Nor did he had time to protest as Micc grabbed his hand once more and pushed him through.  

They reached the Camaro without a problem. Yet Benjamin made the mistake of believing they were finally in the clear. 

He leaned against the car to catch his breath, holding onto his stomach.  He felt queasy. “I hate portals. I fucking hate them…” 

Micc was bent over the hood of the car, head hanging low. 

“Those huge fucking dogs aren’t gonna chase us out here, are they? I mean. We’re safe right?”

Micc was silent, breathing hard. 

“Micc?” Benjamin shuffled over, lightly pushing his shoulder. Micc looked up, eyes glazed over. 

“I know what he laced the drink with…” He whispered. A few seconds later he began to laugh hysterically, doubling over on the ground. 

“What—” Benjamin started and suddenly the backdoors of the casino burst open. 

Victor and another man appeared. Within seconds, they walked up to Micc, picked him up from the ground and slammed him onto the hood of the car. 

Benjamin jumped back in surprise. 

“What the hell did you steal from me Michelangelo?” Victor snarled, Micc’s collar winkled in between his closed fist. 

Micc was giggling, amused by the angry look on Victor’s face. Benjamin quickly figured it must’ve been the laced drink that was making him act so strangely. 

“Wishing Oil, baby.” Micc booped Victor’s nose. “I stole some of your wishing oil.”

Victor’s fist connected with the side of Micc’s jaw. Benjamin flinched. 

“Really? And what do you plan on doing with it.” Victor let Micc slide off the hood, falling back onto the floor. 

Benjamin tensed. If there was even a small possibility of Micc letting Victor know about the death stone, or the map, Benjamin was in deep shit. That map belonged to Amiel and it was locked in their office for a damn reason. 

Before he could even give Micc a chance to speak, Benjamin pulled Victor back, only to throw a good solid punch to his face. The taller man stumbled back, losing his footing and falling back on the ground. 

“None of your fucking business.” Benjamin growled. 

Micc was already up and sliding into the passenger seat, yelling at Benjamin to get in. Benjamin didn’t hesitate. The camaro roared awake and sped off. 

“ _Fuck,_ my jaw.” Micc groaned. 

“Are you okay?” Benjamin asked, nervously glancing at the rearview mirror as he pulled the Camaro onto the strip. The streets were still alive and buzzing. Micc rolled a window down to spit out blood. 

“No…the punch just stunned the effects of the potion. It could come back any…” Micc trailed off. He began to smile and then the laughter came once more. 

“Are you—” Benjamin began, when the Camaro was rammed into from behind. “ _SHIT_.” 

Benjamin looked through the mirror. A red mustang was right on their tail. And Benjamin was willing to bet all his money that he knew the driver behind the wheel. 

“It’s Victor. What the fuck do we do?” He flashed Micc a frantic look. Micc was giggling, sliding down the seat and peering up at Benjamin with a drunk smile. 

“Who?”

“VICTOR.” 

“ _Victor_? Oh my.” Micc gave a tiny fake gasp, he looked behind, squinting through the mustang’s bright headlights. “Hi Victor!” He waved. 

The mustang bumped roughly into the Camaro once more. Micc fell back into his seat, full of laughter. He reached for the radio.

“I know what to do!” He grinned and pressed the play button, turning the volume all the way up. Britney Spear’s “Toxic” began to blast through the car’s speakers. Micc rolled down the window, poking his head out and yelling along to the lyrics.

“MICC.” Benjamin yelled, frantically trying to focus on the road and pull Micc back inside at the same time. The mustang’s engines roared. Benjamin quickly concluded that the only way out of this was to lose Victor.

“Fuck it.” He breathed out and yanked Micc by the suit jacket. Once more, the shorter boy was plopped back into his seat. Benjamin took a sharp turn, nearly running over an Elvis impersonator. He sped on, darting and swerving around beeping cars.

“Whoooo!” Micc raised his hands, giggling.

“Micc, listen to me!” Benjamin yelled over the sound of traffic and the wind seeping through the windows. Micc turned to look at Ben, mouth parting in awe. 

“Wow.” Micc gave a lazy grin. “Ben, you got a nice face. Didja know that?” 

Tires screeched behind them. The mustang was not far behind. 

“What?!” Benjamin shouted, one hand gripping the steering wheel, the other steel latched onto the lapel of Micc’s suit. 

“I said you got a cute face!” Micc yelled back, laughing. 

“SNAP OUT OF IT, MICC.” Benjamin let go of the jacket and took another sharp turn to avoid crashing into a semi-truck. God knows how many red lights he passed. Yet, Victor was still somehow managing to catch up. Benjamin knew he was going to need Micc’s help on this one, if they planned on escaping. 

“With the taste of your lips I’m on a riiiide!” Micc sang his heart out, voice cracking. 

The mustang raged forward, hitting the Camaro once more. Micc flew forward, catching himself before he hit the dashboard and a thought sprang into Benjamin’s head. The punch had apparently stunned the effects of the potion. 

Benjamin only needed Micc clear headed long enough to get him to use his magic.

“Micc,” Benjamin shouted loud enough to get the redhead’s attention. He then gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry.” 

Before Micc’s dopey self could respond, Benjamin grabbed the back of his neck and whammed him against the dashboard. 

Micc groaned loudly in pain. “ ** _Fuuuck_**.” 

“Sorry, I had no way of getting you back.” Benjamin said, eyes nervously glancing through the rearview mirror. “Victor’s on our asses. You have to do something.” 

“Victor?” 

It took Micc a few seconds to regain his senses. He rubbed at his forehead and looked back, spotting the red mustang speeding through traffic. “ _Shit.”_  

“Shit is right.” Benjamin laughed, more out of fear than anything. “What do we do?” 

Micc rubbed his face and ran his hands through his hair impatiently; desperately searching through his clouded mind for a solution. 

“Fuck, okay okay, I got it.” He straightened up in his seat. “I need you to keep driving straight. Pick up the speed.”

“And run more red lights? We probably already have the police on our asses as well!” 

“Ben just DO IT.” Micc insisted, biting the gloves on his hands and sliding them off. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt, pulling out his amulet.

“FINE.” Benjamin pressed on the gas. “Can you just, at least let me know what you’re doing?” 

Micc laid his hands flat on the dashboard. His amulet began to glow. 

“I’m going to teleport us.” 

“Tele…port—oh god,” Benjamin let out a shaky breath. “You really gotta be fucking kidding me. Is it like the portal? Is it gonna hurt?” 

Micc closed his eyes, partly in concentration, the other half in annoyance. “Ben you gotta trust me.”

“See that’s the problem though, Micc! I don’t. I really don’t trust you!” Benjamin exclaimed. 

Despite everything, Micc laughed. 

“Well, you don’t have much of a choice now, do you?” He looked at Benjamin and he was right. There were sirens in the distance. He was running out of places to maneuver around and Victor was still close behind. 

Benjamin fell silent and turned his attention to the road. He shifted gears and pressed harder on the gas. The Camaro roared and Benjamin was thankful the road ahead was fairly empty. Micc went back into full focus and the car’s interior began to vibrate. Benjamin gripped the steering wheel harder but it felt like millions of particles bouncing within his palms. There was a strange translucent glow wrapping itself around the outside of the car. 

“Micc I’m losing control of the steering wheel…” Benjamin managed to say but he was completely captivated by the strange hollow feeling of his body and the buzzing in his hears. Things were beginning to fade to white.

“Just hold on.” Micc hissed, as if he was in pain. 

Then in a flash, the Camaro landed with a thud and the white gave way to a dark desert area. Benjamin’s weight came back full force, as if he’d be dropped. He slammed on the brakes and the Camaro screeched to a halt, inches away from running through a cactus.

The lively sounds of Las Vegas were now just an echo in Benjamin’s head. The two fell back into their seats, catching their breath. Micc’s hands were shaking visibly. 

The only sounds now were of crickets and the rustling of shrubs. The air was a lot cooler, hitting their damp skin. 

“Holy shit.” Benjamin whispered. 

Micc groaned tiredly in response. Then his eyes widened and he quickly shot up, getting out the car and opening the trunk. He pulled out a small black bag, ripped it open and sighed in relief when he saw the vials. 

“Holy shit.” Micc repeated, breaking into a tired laugh. Benjamin stepped out of the car and saw the vials.  After a while, he joined in. The two laughed and laughed and at what, they didn’t really know. Maybe it was just in relief. Or in disbelief. Maybe both. They went over to the front and sat on the hood of the car. 

Soon after their laughter faded, Benjamin looked at Micc. 

“I’m sorry.” He said. “For uh, slamming you against the dashboard.”

Micc grinned. “You’re good. I mean. I think you wore off the potion for good, so. That’s swell.” 

Benjamin chuckled. “What did he give you anyways?” 

Micc rolled his eyes. “It’s some kind of truth serum. _Not really_. But. Yeah. He was going to use it to see what I was up to.” 

“Oh…” Benjamin nodded, feeling a blush creep onto his cheeks for a reason he couldn’t quite tell. 

They fell into a comfortable silence, listening to the sounds of the desert. Micc was the first to speak up again. 

“Actually, you know what?” He turned to Ben. “I’m the one who’s sorry.” 

Benjamin, who had lost his attention to the moon, was pulled back into reality. He raised a brow at Micc. “Huh? For what?” 

“For just. Randomly dragging you into this mess.” 

Benjamin couldn’t help but smile. “Wow, you almost sounded sincere there.” 

Micc didn’t smile. “I am.” He kept his eyes on Benjamin. “I could’ve just taken Amiel’s map and gone alone. And yet I decided to drag you along.” 

Benjamin thought for a moment. “…you didn’t really drag me. You asked. And I agreed.” 

Something in Micc’s expression changed. “Why did you agree?” 

“Well why did you ask?” 

Micc let out a chuckle. “Honestly? Cause I was convinced you knew more about the stone.” 

Benjamin laughed along. “How’d that turn out?” 

“Swell.” Micc said with a slight roll of his eyes. He nudged Ben. “So why did you agree?” 

Benjamin couldn’t contain his grin. “ _Honestly_?” He repeated in the same tone as Micc. “Because I really wanted to drive this fucking car.” 

The two burst into laughter once more. 

They shook off the last remnants of adrenaline in their system. Benjamin wondered about Victor and Micc shrugged it off, assuring that Darcy had it under control. Under the quiet night sky, Benjamin’s head began to fill up with all the questions he didn’t get a chance to ask but again, Micc politely stopped the flow before it even began and promised him some answers when he’s head didn’t feel like a dead weight.

They laughed a lot. For stupid reasons and for no reason at all other than just to make noise in the dead summer air. 

Micc made it known to Ben that he was free to opt out of the rest of the adventure; something that Benjamin quickly turned down. It caught Micc off guard, especially since they never really got off on the right foot. And after tonight’s events, well, only Micc was ridiculous enough to have the motivation and hunger to continue. 

“I wanna go.” 

“You’re joking.” 

Benjamin shook his head. He admitted that a small part of him agreed to come along because he thought about the ticket booth and all the long summer days, wasting away underneath the sweltering heat. Yeah there were days off, trips to cities and nights at bars. But there was never _this._

_Magic._

Adrenaline pumping through veins, eyes captivated by the glow, the buzz, the feeling of magic. There was a whole new world that Benjamin never knew about. A whole new world he was eager to explore. 

“So can I?” Benjamin asked, hair tussled and falling wildly over his eyes.

Micc leaned back on his arms, quite dumbfounded by Benjamin’s reaction to, well, everything.

He was expecting to take Benjamin home and never hear from him again. But here he was, looking at him with bright, eager eyes.

“I…” Micc began. He straightened up. “ ** _Okay_** , but. You do know this could get dangerous right? I mean, I just gotta put it out there. Warnings and shit. Best you know what the hell you’re getting into.” 

Benjamin’s lips erupted into a wide smile. “So it’s a yes?” 

Micc couldn’t help but return the smile. “I don’t know, Ben. You tell me.”


	3. The Illusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He came to understand that it was best to let Micc do his own thing and only intervene when he got a little too reckless which, truth be told, happened more often than he had hoped for. 
> 
> Yet there he remained, unwilling to spend the rest of his summer behind the ticket booth. How could he, when Micc had grabbed him by the wrist and thrown him into a different world, showed him a bigger universe."

For a moment, there was only black.

Complete darkness all around him. It wasn’t suffocating, nor overwhelming. Quite the opposite, in fact. It surrounded him, welcomed him, embraced him. He could still feel the cool dirt beneath his hands, bits of rock biting into the back of his head but it was a very light touch; one that was quickly fading as he felt himself slipping. Where to? He hadn’t the slightest idea. It was somewhere between falling and rising, expanding and contracting but nevertheless, deeper into the pitch black. His fingers twitched as if a part of him was fighting to stay. To feel. But the grains of dirt gave way to a mere buzzing sensation. A while later and that gave way to a dull pulse. Until it was barely there. Until everything was barely there.

For that moment, it felt like an eternity. One he had faced many times before.

There came the loud sound of rusty metal, like the flip of a giant switch. And then there was light. Bright and unforgiving. And with it came the world rising from behind him. Which meant he was falling, back into reality. Back into the cool ground and the slow distorted sound of music sailing through speakers.

It took a few seconds before a muffled voice became clear, “I was really hoping I wouldn’t find you here.”

Micc finally opened his eyes, squinting at the bright stage lights hanging above him. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before a familiar face popped into view, generously covering most of the piercing yellow glare. Though the look on that face was a little less generous and a little more like it had seen this same scenario play far too many times to greet it with any positive emotion.

“Leo.” Micc gave his assistant a tired yet cheeky grin. “How are we on this fine night?”

The boy above him narrowed his eyes in response. He purposely moved away, letting the stage lights burn onto Micc’s face once more.

“Nrg.” Micc groaned, using his arm to shield himself from the devilish beams. He could hear Leo muttering something sarcastically, shuffling around him, but most of the words sailed in one ear and out the other.

It always took him a while to fully come back to himself after hours of laying on the ground, completely still, lost. You’d think after countless times of doing so, he’d at least find a shortcut home. Two or three clicks of the heels to get back to Kansas. But no. His eyes and ears were still adjusting. Though by now he could make out the rows of empty seats around them. He could hear the wind sliding across the tent’s panels. A faint scent of popcorn and pretzels hung in the air.

Familiar sights and sounds.

Home.

Micc let out a small dry laugh and immediately grimaced at the sour taste in his mouth.

“Your coat’s a mess.” Leo’s voice appeared again, much sharper. “God, at least tell me you slept.”

“Of course I did.”

He didn’t. But nonetheless, he gave Leo his best fake yawn and stretch, shaking off that good old fake sleep he most certainly did not get, though he might as well have, with how tired his body felt.

No, not tired. Sore. He made to get up but the pain that pulsed through his body came so sudden and so cruel that he jerked back onto the ground with a strangled “oomph”. Leo’s mouth formed a thin straight line.

“You seem well rested.” His voice was even for the most part, though Micc could tell his assistant was fighting not to add a poison bite to his words.

“Well the ground doesn’t exactly make for a good mattress, Leo.”

Another attempted was made to get up. He managed to sit up before he had to suck in a few deep breaths to get used to the pain. Leo sat on the ground next to him.

“Mhm.” He started, arms crossed. “You know what makes for a good mattress?” He asked, then leaned in close to answer for him, “The actual mattress. In. Your. Room.”

Micc closed his eyes as Leo’s words rang loud in his head. The more conscious he became of his surroundings, the more he remembered how far he pushed himself that night. Just by sitting up he could pinpoint about ten forming bruises and the amount of time he’d have to suffer with the headache that was now pounding within his skull.

“You know,” Leo continued, a lot softer this time. “For a second, I thought starting the show early meant you we’re actually thinking about taking it easy tonight.”

Micc could barely remember the show. It was a string of blurry snapshots. Silhouettes of a sea of bodies. Symphonies dripping from the speakers, dancing with his illusions in the middle of the ring. He couldn’t remember what story he told. Nor the extraordinary colors he produced for his audience. Not even the ghost of cheers and applause lingered within the walls of the spacious tent. The air was dead. And the tent remained so very alone.

What he did remember were the hours after The Midnight Show. After the last seats emptied and the iron gates to his carnival closed. A series of pathetic attempts at learning elemental magic. He could barely produce a spark. He remembered how easily his patience wore thin, until there was none and he was left with a familiar wave of anger and distress. Short bursts of rage that kept him pushing until his amulet glowed brightly, burning against his chest. An anger that wouldn’t let him stop until his own magic fired back at him, scorched his hands, bruised his limbs and knocked the air out of his lungs. Until his body felt too heavy to get back up and he let himself sink in the pool of his own failure. Right there underneath the stage lights, in the middle of the ring. A painfully sad sight but he had no pity left for himself. Just that familiar anger.

“You didn’t sleep did you?” Leo asked. Micc glanced over and found a pair of dull yellow eyes staring at him. Not with pity, thank god, but with genuine concern. Something he still wasn’t familiar with receiving.

Micc smirked. “Oh, c’mon. It’s too early to sleep.”

“It’s 4 am.”

Micc shrugged. “Then it’s too late.”

He sucked in a final breath and forced himself up, feeling every muscle in his body scream in agony. He bit his tongue to keep a straight face. Any little sound of discomfort would send Leo into another motherly lecture about sleep and not…overworking yourself or something.

“You goddamn—” Leo groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “Okay. Fine. Can you just. Go on your bed and stare at the ceiling or something. At least then I could pretend you’re resting.”

Micc took a moment to appreciate how irritated his assistant look. He didn’t know which was funnier, the crossed arms and pout plastered on his face or the fact that this was the same boy that wouldn’t have given a single shit two years ago.

Leo was still waiting for an answer.

Micc pretended to think about it. Then sweetly replied, “No.”

Leo exhaled loudly through his nose, arms falling at his sides which was a usual sign of defeat. He pursed his lips, jaw tensing, eyes glaring daggers at the ground cause god forbid he looked at Micc without storming over and whacking the ringleader upside the head.

“So what then, more fire practice?” Leo sounded tired. He pointed to the amulet dangling around Micc’s neck. “I’m sure blue would just love to go for another round. Look at her, look at how bright she’s glowing.”

Micc brushed off Leo’s sarcasm with a chuckle. Though he did cradle blue in his hands and found she was barely glowing. Barely pulsating. She was very warm still, the tell-tale sign of exhaustion.

“She won’t have to deal with it much longer.” Micc said, a sudden spark igniting within him. It came with a wave of relief. He was afraid he’d lost it. That spark. That sense of purpose.

Leo scoffed, walking over and leaning in to inspect the cracks on Blue’s surface. “Yeah, I mean. I can’t imagine how much longer she’ll hold before you’re back at Corvus’ doorstep asking for a new amulet.”

“I won’t need another amulet.” Micc replied. Those words alone sent a curious chill running down his spine. His heart leapt. For a minute there he had forgotten.

For a minute there, so did Leo.

His assistant shot him a weird look but within seconds, the lightbulb went off and his eyes went wide.

“Oh, god. No.” He then shut his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose because the amount of exasperation building up inside his hollow plastic body was enough to almost make him feel alive. “Micc, you’re not still looking for that rock of the dead—”

“Death Stone.”

“Whatever.” Leo groaned. “You’re not still after that thing are you?”

Micc blinked innocently. “When did I stop?”

“I don’t know, I thought about…two weeks ago?” Leo was back to crossing his arms, eying the ringleader with the most ‘you gotta be kidding me’look he could muster. “You know, when you almost got that guy Bartholomew killed in a cave by a bunch of vampires.”

“His name is Benjamin, Leo.” Micc answered a little too defensively. Then he had to quickly scan his brain to remember exactly what had gone down that night. There was a cave. There were a couple of vampires. And. Well, there was definitely a lot of Benjamin. Boy could he throw a punch. If anything, it was Micc that had almost died that night. Though, he wasn’t necessarily enthusiastic about correcting Leo on that part.

“It wasn’t even that bad,” Micc reassured with a slight shrug. “Ben and I had a good laugh afterwards and I brought him home before sunrise. He’s safe. It’s all good. The wishing oil just led us to the wrong place, that’s all.”

“Wishing Oil that you don’t have anymore.”

Micc realized it had been a few days since he last saw Ben. He had a sudden urge to pay him a visit.

“Actually,” Micc began, sliding off his uniform jacket and heading towards the entrance of the tent. “I got half a vial left. Which is enough for one last try.”

He could hear Leo cursing behind him. “Mickey, where are you going?”

“To pick up Ben, of course” Micc stated casually, as if it was the most normal thing to do in the dead of night. “And locate this death stone once and for all.”

“At 4 am.”

“Is there a better time?”

Leo stared at the Ringleader in front of him; dirty auburn hair sticking to his forehead, almost every inch of visible freckled skin smudged with ash and covered in scrapes and darkening bruises. Personally, he couldn’t think of a single time in which searching for a forbidden magic rock would be a good time. But this was Micc. And though it felt like swallowing a handful of nails, there were times where Leo had to admit to himself that this was the only way he was used to seeing Micc. Exhausted yet unyielding. A wild flame burning too bright and too fast with only little to feed it.

It didn’t matter if Leo couldn’t think of a single time. It didn’t matter if he thought of millions to counteract. Micc would either put up a good fight—for the sake of humoring himself—or smile that awfully convincing sincere smile of his and take the plunge either way.

“You’re insufferable.” Leo muttered, rubbing his temples; a habit from the times he was able to feel and experiences headaches. “Just. Go.”

Micc chuckled and walked over, pulling the shorter boy into a tired hug.

“I’ll be back before sunrise.” He swayed them back in forth in an oddly comforting way. “I promise” He added after a small kiss was placed on Leo’s head.

“So in like. An hour.” Leo deadpanned.

“Maybe three.”

Leo could feel Micc grinning against his head. A small part of him was wondering how anyone could succeed in capturing one of these so called “rare and forbidden” dead rocks in just the span of three hours. Ben and Micc had been trying for two weeks without any sort of progress and suddenly it was now possible? Though the bigger question had more to do with how Micc was going to successfully convince Ben to search for said emo rock at four in the goddamn morning.

When they pulled apart, Micc was sporting his shit eating grin. He assured Leo he had a plan. Which meant he was sort of, kind of going to think of one on the way to El Carnaval De Cuentos. But he guaranteed it was going to work! Which meant it was most likely not going to. But hey, who was Leo to interject. He merely demanded that Micc return before the Carnival’s opening because if he had to fix that godforsaken carousel one more time, he was going to learn fire magic on his own just so he could burn the whole place to the ground.

Leo’s way of saying, “take care, I need you to come back.”

“Also,” He added, tugging on the hem of Micc’s shirt. “Take a shower before you leave. Throw some glamour on. You look like shit.”

Micc raised his brows. “Shit, you’re right.” He took a quick glance at his scraped palms. “Can’t have Ben asking questions.” Then added with a mellow smile, “More than he already does anyways.”

Then off went the Ringleader, sprinting out of his tent and his assistant was left behind in the ring, briefly wondering why he didn’t convince him to stay.

It was tough to admit this was Michelangelo Hayes; a wild flame burning too bright and too fast for its own good.

It was tougher to admit that some flames were not eternal.

* * *

 

Teleporting was—to put it mildly—a big pain in the ass. Especially when you were a Blue ringleader who, instead of having four years of teleportation training under your belt, only had about 5-ish training sessions with a Red ringleader who did.

At the very least, Darcy had been an efficient instructor and Micc was forever thankful for that. Of course, a simple thank you wasn’t going to suffice. He did pay Darcy back by showing him a few tricks on how to manipulate shadows. Darcy was ecstatic to learn and Micc didn’t quite understand why; until he show up at the Red’s carnival and was slapped in the face with a traveling 80’s horror show. All in all, they were even.

But Micc was still struggling to get the hang of this whole instantaneous transportation thing.

The Camaro screeched to a halt some mere feet away from the gates of El Carnaval de Cuentos. It took a while before the vibration in Micc’s body faded away to a dull buzz; a part of teleporting that Darcy swore was completely normal and that “it was going to take a while before his body became accustomed to it”.

Micc sucked his teeth. He did realize teleporting a whole goddamn Camaro was going to take a good substantial amount of energy. Energy he definitely didn’t have left on that particular night. So aside from the idiotic decision to do so anyways—for an amateur—his teleportation skills were fairly impressive.

But it would take a miracle to get Michelangelo Hayes to see that.

He stepped out of the car; heavy breaths and damp freshly washed hair and made his way to the gates. He stopped abruptly, sizing them up before gently and very cautiously tapping on the metal.

No barrier.

Micc sighed in relief. The previous times, it had been Benjamin who snuck out through the gates and met up with Micc a few miles down the road. Snuck being a key word seeing as Benjamin did technically have duties to attend to at the carnival. Though that was during the evenings and it was currently 4 am. Benjamin didn’t have to worry about the ticket booth and Micc didn’t have to worry about Amiel questioning what the hell he was doing with Benjamin. (Honestly, it had been a miracle that he had avoided them for so long.)

With Blue still glowing dimly and a trick he learned during his training days, Micc unlocked the gates and slipped inside. If this had been Eva’s carnival, hundreds of alarms would’ve gone off at a single ounce of outside magic touching her gates. Luckily this was Amiel; sweet, compassionate, ‘lover and believer in all good things in the world’ Amiel. He figured this is why it was so easy to make a copy of the map they had in their office. Never in a million years would they think Micc would steal is for his own selfish benefit.

“I’m terrible, Ams.” He whispered to the quiet summer air and then chuckled awkwardly. But before he could let guilt lay a single one of its fingers on him, he quickly jogged into the Carnival, past Amiel’s famous ferris wheel, and to the trailer home that sat quietly behind a blue framed fence.

The structure itself was bigger than most mobile homes Micc had seen. It even had a small porch wrapping around one of its sides with a purple patio sofa snuggled underneath the burgundy roof. It also had. A lot of windows.

“Shit.” Micc breathed, hands landing on his hips with a droplet of disappointment. He looked at the windows and began to play the guessing game of “which one of you fuckers belong to Ben’s room”

He scanned the ground and picked up a rock, a fairly small one because his goal here was to wake Benjamin up, not throw a boulder through his window and startle the whole carnival awake. Though he had to admit, for a brief second, that idea sounded pretty rad.

In the end, it took him hitting all the windows and a tense minute or so in between each one while he waited, before the front door creaked open and a bespectacled face popped out donning a wild dark fluff of bed hair.

It took Micc a few seconds to recognize that face as Benjamin. Just as it took a few seconds for Benjamin to realize it was Micc standing there like an idiot in the dark.

His sleepy eyes went wide.

“Micc?!” He whispered loudly, opening the door and leaning slightly forward with the intention of making sure his eyes were not deceiving him.

“Hi Ben.” Micc grinned, still juggling a rock between his hands. He motioned to the trailer. “Sorry about the rocks. Couldn’t guess which window led to your room. Still don’t which window it is but hey! You opened the door and not your twin so I guess it doesn’t really matter.”

Benjamin stared at the Ringleader incredulously. “I’m sorry. Uh—what are you doing here?!”

“Picking you up.” Micc dropped the rocks and dusted off his hands. “We’re going after the stone.”

“At….like…3 in the morning?”

“It’s actually 4 am but, yeah.” Micc looked Ben up and down, subtly admiring this sleepy look he had going on. A baseball tee, some grey sweats and again, the strangely attractive mess of curls hugging his face. Definitely a different vibe from that of his signature pompadour and leather jacket ensemble.

“So what’s up, you coming?” Micc smiled. The glasses were totally new.

Benjamin might’ve caught Micc staring because he shrunk back behind the door, adjusting his glasses, unsure of whether he wanted to take them off or not.

“Cut the shit dude, I’m not going after a death stone at 4 in the goddamn morning.” He hiss whispered, looking behind him every once in a while to make sure Ezequiel wasn’t awake as well.

“Why not?” Micc asked.

“Why not? Are you ser—” Benjamin sighed in frustration.

“What happened to ‘I sleep all day and party all night’” Micc interjected with a smirk.

“What? I never said that!”

“You said something like it.”

“It’s a Monday Micc.”

“Monday funday, come on. Put some shoes on and let’s hit the road. The camaro’s parked out front.”

Ben perked up in the slightest. “…You brought the camaro?”

Micc bit his tongue though he couldn’t help but flash a cheeky grin. “Of course, my secret weapon against you.”

“Fuck off.”

Micc chuckled but his patience was beginning to wear thin again. Though he wasn’t angry. He was just, really excited. He jogged up the steps and Benjamin shrunk further back, closing the door until half his face was only visible under the moonlit sky.

“Come on Ben, aren’t you up for a tiny adventure tonight?”

Benjamin bit his lip in thought. Micc could see that familiar glint of curiosity in his eyes. And though their ‘adventures’ had been pretty risky so far—ending with bruises, cuts and that one time, cheating death—Benjamin never once decided it was enough. At the end of their wild trips, they laughed their shock away and plan their next move. They had become quite a good team in just less than a month.

“I’m…I’m not even ready.” Benjamin whined.

“What the hell are you talking about.” Micc was genuinely confused. He pushed the door slightly open only to have it closed again by Benjamin. “You’re fully clothed. Just put on some shoes and let’s go.”

“Oh. So you get to wear a button up and some slacks but I gotta go out in my damn pajamas?” Benjamin argued.

Micc stared at Benjamin like he had no fucking idea how those two things connected. He then remembered again that this was the first time he was seeing Benjamin in his pajamas. No gravity defying pompadour. No crisp white tee and shiny leather jacket. (Still a very nice cologne smell surrounding him though) And though a big part of him still didn’t understand what the big deal was, he decided to take a stab at it.

He pushed the door open again and leaned in, shooting Benjamin what he hoped was a comforting smile.

“Listen,” He said. “If you’re worried about looking good, can I just say that one: we’re going to a fucking desert at 4 am. And two: you look good, Ben. You always do.”

Benjamin didn’t say anything for while. He looked at Micc with an unreadable expression. Until he looked away, a smile slowly erupting.

“Why are you wearing a button up to the desert?” He glanced back at Micc, briefly, before landing his gaze somewhere on the floor.

Micc shrugged, “I wanted to impress you. Get on your level, you know? You runway model son of a bitch.

Benjamin laughed, a little too loud that he ended up covering his mouth and peering back inside to make sure he was still in the clear. When he turned back, Micc had his hand extended out to him.

“So are you coming?”

Benjamin didn’t take long to think about it. He disappeared into the house and came back out donning his leather jacket.

He took Micc’s hand.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

 

Before every adventure, there was always blueberry beer and Gansitos; a pastry Ben had introduced to Micc as ‘what the Twinkie should have been’. And though this tradition of sorts started off with a heated debate about what snack cakes ‘oughta be and not be’, it quickly turned into one of their favorites.

With the Camaro parked off the road, in the middle of a quiet desert, Ben and Micc popped open their beers, chugged them within the minute and let out some very satisfied “AH’s”. There would have been some chit chat that followed but tonight, Micc was dancing with anticipation. While Benjamin—who was very reasonably still half asleep—sprawled himself on the hood of the Camaro, Micc began to scour the area for…something.

“Okay,” Benjamin began; gaze following Micc through his upside-down view. “So this death stone…are we sure that it’s here?”

Micc was watching the ground intently, sliding his oxfords across the dirt as if he was looking to uncover something beneath. He took a while before he answered Benjamin. “I’m sure the portal is here.”

“Right, right…” Benjamin nodded, closing his eyes and replaying parts of their adventures in his head, none of which ever ended with the death stone in Micc’s hand. See, there were these portals scattered all over world and Micc had a tiny obsession with them. Well, no. He had an obsession with ONE of them; a very peculiar kind of portal that kept jumping from one location to the next. The little bastard was a hard one to catch and it could only be located using wishing oil (of which Micc had only half a vial left).

It had been a slow burning game of cat and mouse but even after a few weeks, they still couldn’t manage to catch up to it just in time to jump through. Seeing the vial being cradled—albeit rather tensely—within Micc’s palm assured Ben that this time, Micc was not allowing any room for mistakes. This was the one. This was the portal that would lead them to the mountains where, as Amiel’s map was promising, the death stone awaited.

So close, Benjamin thought. Then he thought about it some more and got an odd chill that crept up his spine; one filled with excitement and a dash of fear. It was hard to believe a map like this had sat in Amiel’s office for years, only brought up once in a drunken conversation during his and Ezequiel’s 21st birthday. But it was even harder to believe in the places this tiny worn up map had taken them to in just under a month.

Benjamin idly ran a finger along his palm where he could feel raised skin; a souvenir from fighting with Vampires.

Vampires.

He opened his eyes and his heart skipped a beat. They existed now. Supernatural beings that he only read about in books and watched on the small screen of his tv. They were real and they were assholes. Not as charming as Brad Pitt donning lavishly long brown hair.

“Fuck…” Micc cursed lightly. Benjamin could hear him dragging his feet along the terrain of the desert, sucking his teeth, very gently grunting with impatience. Benjamin was used to it. He came to understand that it was best to let Micc do his own thing and only intervene when he got a little too reckless which, truth be told, happened more often than he had hoped for.

Yet there he remained, unwilling to spend the rest of his summer behind the ticket booth. How could he, when Micc had grabbed him by the wrist and thrown him into a different world, showed him a bigger universe. No amount of pitstop parties and trips to shady bars could top this. Sure, maybe these adventures weren’t all too safe one hundred percent of the time but Micc always made it his priority to give Benjamin as detailed of a rundown as possible of what they’d encounter. He was a good partner in crime.

Benjamin let out a small chuckle at that. He was certain finding this death stone had to be some sort of crime because a stone that could only be found using a map filled with riddles was definitely not a stone that was going to be picked up off the ground and claimed just like that.

No, these stones had to belong to someone. Or…something?

His thoughts were rudely interrupted by a big yawn that escaped his lips. He looked up at the stars with teary, sleepy eyes and remembered that everyone within a 100 mile radius was probably doing the right thing and snoring happily in their beds.

“The sun’s gonna come up soon.” Benjamin said, propping himself up on his elbows. He turned to look at Micc. “Didn’t your assistant want you home by then?”

Micc continued kicking at the dirt for another moment until he let out a big sigh and dropped to the ground, running a hand through his hair and then down his face.

“It’s not coming up.” He grumbled, turning around to where the hues of an early sunrise hid behind the highlands. “The sun, I mean.”

Benjamin shot him a look, “And what does that mean?”

Micc swept his palm back and forth between the dirt and rocks and then began to carve swirls with his fingers. “It means we’re sitting on one of the many Janus planes.” He looked up at Benjamin with the tiniest speck of hope that he might’ve known what that meant.

When Ben gave him a clueless stare, Micc half smiled. He knew that stare meant Ben was lost but curious and itching to know more. Though, he had grown quite hesitant with bombarding Micc with questions after finding out it overwhelmed him at times.

So Ben bit his lip which was an action that substituted for the actual question of “What’s a Janus plane?” and the dozens of minor related questioned that followed.

Micc appreciated this neat new way of communicating. He crossed his legs and got comfortable on the ground, brushing off his hands. Ben understood it meant story time so he sat up and leaned forward excitedly.

“A Janus Plane is…” Micc began, clicking his tongue while he thought up of a cohesive way to explain the weird shit this world was cluttered with. “Uh…think of it as a glitch. It’s an area that simultaneously belongs to one realm, to all realms and to none.”

“Okay…” Ben nodded slowly, looking at the desert around them as if it he was looking for any signs of said realms or maybe anything that could be a glitch of sorts. Maybe a weird looking rock, abnormal clouds, strange vegetation—

“It’s hard to tell sometimes.” Micc answered the unspoken question. “The glitch varies with every spot. But this one…the glitch is time.”

Ben’s curious gaze fell back on Micc.

“Think about it, we’ve been here for more than an hour. That sun should’ve been creeping up way past those highlands already.”

“No way.” Ben scrambled to pull out his phone. The time hadn’t changed since they got there. He let out a laugh of amusement. “What the fuuuuck!”

Micc couldn’t help but grin in response.

“Okay hold up, hold up,” Ben took off his glasses and started wiping the lenses with his shirt. He settled them back on the bridge of his nose; face scrunched up in bewilderment. “So has time just completely stopped here or?”

“No, it just goes way slower. That sun belongs to this realm. But minutes to them,” Micc pointed in a general direction behind him, “is like hours to us. So…the sun will eventually come up. And everyone will wake up and you and I will have felt like a whole day has gone by.”

“Holy shit,” Ben responded breathlessly.

“Holy shit is right.” Micc gestured to the taller boy’s phone. “You might have to reset it later on. I don’t know, it does funky shit with electronics.”

They laughed even though there really wasn’t much to laugh at. But they did it because they could and it felt right.

Micc stood up and brushed himself off as Ben stretched over the hood of the Camaro and reached for another beer. They shared another bottle and continued to talk magic. It was still a strange thing to know Ben lived with Amiel yet the most he knew about magic was the little illusion tricks Amiel pulled during their show. Floating objects here, disappearing objects there.

“But you know about the death stone.” Micc asked, leaning against the car, arms folded.

“I don’t know about it.” Ben emphasized as he unwrapped another gansito. He took a generous bite and reflected on his words. He shrugged. “I just know it exists.”

Micc hummed thoughtfully. And they stayed silent for a while.

“What is it?” Ben asked, very softly, as if the question wasn’t meant for anyone. He then straightened up, a mildly confused look spreading across his face. “What are Ringleaders? And these so called Ringmasters. I mean, how many carnivals are out there? Why don’t I know this?! Why don’t I—” He stopped mid-sentence as he was interrupted by another big yawn.

Micc let out a hearty laugh. If he wasn’t mistaken, they were both a tiny bit buzzed. And Benjamin was definitely closer to falling asleep than staying awake. He gave the taller boy a nudge.

“Come on, we should get you home. Nothing’s happening tonight.”

Benjamin blinked at him, eyes tired but still sparkling with curiosity. “We’re leaving?”

“Well, I’m going to drop you off and come back.”

Ben’s sleepy eyes widened. He shook his head, trying to decide if he heard correctly. “Wait what?” He looked at Micc and understood this was no joke. So, he whined, “Why?”

Micc peeled himself off the car and started to pick up gansito wrappers off the desert ground. “Because it’s 4 am Ben and I feel like an ass for waking you up and dragging you out here.”

“But…” Ben nibbled on his snack cake, thinking hard about Micc’s words. At least, as hard as his fuzzy mind could at that moment. He shook his head again. “No wait, fuck off. You can’t pull that shit.”

Micc grinned and quirked a brow. “What shit am I pulling?”

Ben was grinning too. He slipped off the hood of the car and playfully shoved Micc by the shoulder. “The shit you always pull when you think I can’t handle DANGER.” He said the last word with an ominous growl though it was tapered off by yet another yawn.

It made the two burst into laughter and a lighthearted game of shoulder shove ensued.

“Geez, sue me for wanting you to get some SLEEP.” Micc laughed as he latched onto Ben’s arm when the taller boy decided his new mission was to accomplish a takedown via a leg trip.

“Oh did you think of that when you were throwing ROCKS at my window?” Ben said through fits of giggles.

In midst their weightless bickering, someone lost their footing and they both went down with a flat thud, but their laughter only grew louder. And when the cloud of dust around them settled back into the ground, someone surrendered. It was definitely not Michelangelo Hayes.

They laid side by side, catching their breaths and watching the hundreds of stars above them.

“You can’t go without me.” Benjamin chuckled weakly, dark curls resting over his eyes. He pushed them back, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath, only to let out another exhausted laugh. Micc joined in.

“It’s our adventure.” Ben’s voiced sailed through the summer air. Only the desert responded with distant chirps and coos.

Micc didn’t realize he was nodding, agreeing with Benjamin. He was enticed by the stars and the purple hues of the night. But nodding felt right, much like a lot of things did when he was accompanied by the tall sleepy boy next to him. He felt a warmth on the back of his hand and looked down to see it was brushing against Ben’s.

“I’m not going without you.” He said, feeling a slight drowsiness kick in. He smiled at Ben. “But you do need to sleep.”

The part of him that wanted to keep pushing, to keep looking for that portal was subsiding. It was being tucked into a small dark corner in his mind. He didn’t necessarily like that. It felt like a spark was fading away. His drive and purpose. His heart leapt and he sat up.

No, he had to come back.

“Hey, Micc?”

Micc looked back to see Ben propped up on his elbows and even under a pre-dawn sky, he could see a light blush on his cheeks.

“What’s up, Loverboy?” Micc grinned because one, it made that blush more apparent and two, it was a rare but oh so fitting nickname that stuck around after Ben told him what Amado translated to.

Ben took a moment to collect himself, barely holding back another laugh. “I know it’s late and all but…could you show me an illusion?”

Micc blinked. It took a minute or so to register the words and another to decipher what Benjamin meant by it. Luckily the younger boy answered for him.

“I mean you don’t have to if you don’t want to obviously.” Benjamin sat up, bringing his arms around his knees and resting his head on them. He glanced at Micc, rather shy of his request. “It’s just…Darcy told me Ringleaders can specialize in certain types of magic. And well, he said…you were really good with illusions. And I know I’m no one to be asking for a free show or anything but I was hoping—”

“Wait, wait.” Micc cut off Ben with a wave of his hand. “Darcy said I was good with illusions?”

Ben nodded, nibbling on his bottom lip.

Micc shook his head. “He was wrong.”

Ben’s lips formed a small pout. But before he could say anything, Micc leaned in with a smirk.

“I’m not good…I’m the fucking Master of Illusions.”

The way Ben’s eyes lit up made Micc chuckle. He was about to add the punchline to his joke but Ben quickly cut in.

“So can I see one? Please?”

“Ben, I was just…” Micc stopped. Benjamin already had a hopeful and excited look on his face and it was one that Micc just didn’t have the heart to turn down. When Micc having the heart to do shit ever became a thing, he didn’t know. And he certainly wasn’t ready to dwell on it at that moment.

So he stood up and wiped himself free of the dirt that clung to his pants. “You know what,” He said and extended a hand to Benjamin. “Sure, why the fuck not?”

An excited but endearing squeak escaped Benjamin’s lips as he took Micc’s hand and let himself be led to the hood of the black car. He eagerly took a seat as Micc rolled up his sleeves and slid on his gloves. He pulled Blue from his pocket and clasped it around his neck.

Micc opened his arms as if he stood in the middle of his tent before a crowd of hundreds and in his best showman voice said, “Are you ready…for an exclusive sneak peak of the Amazing, the Astounding, the Absolutely Incredible Midnight Show!”

“Fuck yes!” Ben accidentally shouted. They both burst into laughter.

In Micc’s head, they were obviously just fucking around. But something about Ben’s unabashed excitement felt a little too genuine for Micc’s liking. It made him nervous.

But. It was all just some lighthearted fun. He told himself Ben was buzzed and was probably only expecting something simple with nice colors. Surely, he couldn’t have believed that Micc was the “Master of Illusions”.

Micc took a deep breath, trying not to remember that this was one of the few times since his trainee days where he performed an illusion in front of someone. Trying to convince himself that he was fucking Good at this. Better than anyone he trained with. Better than his mentor, Corvus.

He tried to remember he’s produced illusions in front of Benjamin before. Many times. At Victor’s masquerade. At the cave of vampires. Sure, they were preoccupied with bigger tasks at hand. Sure it wasn’t exactly as personal as it felt now. The focus wasn’t entirely on him…

His heart began to beat a little faster, chest tightening. But lucky for him, his face remained cool, a cocky smirk plastered on his lips.

“You ready?” he asked Ben only to receive a quick excited nod.

Micc sat beside Ben and took another deep breath. Easy fucking peasy…

“What would be our stage?” He looked over at Ben.

Ben, not realizing he’d have any actual say in anything, struggled to find an answer. He stumbled over his words until he managed to say, “Uh, the sky?”

Micc smiled. “Sure.”

Blue glowed brightly as he extended an arm out to the sky and swiped it across. Ben didn’t notice any change. Until Micc said, “Let’s dim down the lights, yeah?”

Slowly, he dragged two fingers down through the air mimicking the motion of using a dimmer and sure enough the sky darkened, purple hues giving way to rich navy and then black. The desert was swallowed by shadows.

Ben felt a chill run down his spine; of the same kind he felt earlier.

“Well, we could use a little light.” Micc snorted. Blue’s light twirled within her as Micc began poking into the sky, adding stars to his blank canvas. Little by little, the silhouette of the desert came back into view.

“Fuck dude, are you really doing this?” Benjamin asked breathlessly as Micc’s fingers danced across the sky like they would on the keys of a piano.

“I am and I’m not.” He answered, focused on his task at hand. He still managed to smile. “But that’s the point.”

When he was satisfied with the amount of stars that shimmered across the sky, he concluded the stage and lights were set. Now they needed…

“A SHIP.” Ben shouted, too excited for his own good. Micc had lost count of how many times he had laughed that night. But he figured he was on a good streak.

So they settled on a pirate ship, but first Micc brought in fluffs of colorful clouds that stretched across the sky, morphing fluidly like enchanted water. They roared and crashed like waves and Ben could not stop saying “Fuck” in every degree of excited tones. When the first ship pulled in, it was a sight that made Ben jump back in surprised but it only took seconds before he leaned forward with an eagerness he couldn’t contained. Soon there was a fleet of ships and canons being fired at a majestic sea monster. They had a play and Benjamin was loving every second of it. Micc kept both his hands at work for a while as he orchestrated the illusion before them, adding elements here, details there. When the last crew member on the ship was added, he leaned back on his arms and continued directing the scene in his head. Not many Ringleaders had a strong enough connection with their amulet to do such a thing. But Blue and Micc…they had been through some shit together.

A canon blew off one the monster’s tentacles and Benjamin yelled, “Holy shit!”

When the monster retaliated, and things grew tense, Benjamin’s hand quickly found Micc’s. He gave it a squeeze, eyes glued to the scene before him in wonder and amazement.

Micc looked down at their interlocked hands, not understanding why he found it so interesting to watch. Ben’s squeezes weren’t uncomfortable, in fact they were quite the opposite. Even through the glove, he could feel a bit of warmth.

“Fuck, this is amazing!” Ben laughed. He looked down at Micc. “This is so unreal. Fuck, Micc! I can’t even—this is just incredible! You’re doing this?! You’re doing this! And it’s stunning! Magnificent—HOLY SHIT that guy just fell off the ship!”

Micc felt hot in the face. He felt hot underneath the glove where his hand was still holding Ben’s and he realized he was squeezing back. His heart was back to beating a little too fast for his liking. Or maybe it had never slowed down. Didn’t matter now. In fact, he didn’t know what did matter. He couldn’t think. He just kept looking at Ben and the way his eyes crinkled up when he smiled and laughed. The way they widened with wonder. The way he sometimes leaned closed when something shocked him. The mess of curls that bounced with every one of his movements.

Ben was pointing now and saying something that Micc was tuning out because he couldn’t remember how to function. Slowly he blinked back to reality and the sound of Ben’s voice came ringing in.

“Look at the swirls, oh they’re dripping, that’s so fucking cool!”

Dripping…dripping?

Micc narrowed his eyes in thought. He was finally thinking. Finally focusing—oh fuck.

He looked up at the sky and caught the remains of his distorted illusion; a melting ship and a puddle of sagging clouds. He had lost focus which meant he had royally fucked up.

“Fuck.” He grunted, letting go of Ben’s hand and wiping his hand across the sky. In the blink of an eye, they were back to the pre-dawn desert sky. Any remnants of the illusion no where to be seen.

Benjamin blinked, surprised at how quickly everything went back to normal. A moment of silence rolled by and then the tall boy was back to his loud excited rambles.

“That. Was Awesome.” His hands tangled themselves in his curls as he sighed in blissful disbelief. He was still looking at the sky and Micc couldn’t quite understand which part was “awesome”. The part where he lost focus and the entire illusion went to shit?

“I messed it up.” Micc muttered, tugging off his gloves and shoving them into the pockets of his slacks.

“What?” Ben almost shouted again, “Where? That was incredible, dude. Start to finish!”

“That last part wasn’t meant to happen.”

“What, the swirly twirly melty GOODNESS?”

Micc couldn’t help but let out a good cackle. Naturally, he didn’t believe the praise Ben was slamming him with. But he’d be lying if he said he didn’t at least find it mildly charming. Especially with Ben’s interesting word choices.

When Ben finally came down from his high, he returned to being an unstoppable yawning machine and Micc concluded that it was really time to go. After a few protests from Ben, they slunk into the Camaro and made their way back to El Carnaval de Cuentos.

It wasn’t long before they arrived. They sat in the car for a while talking, about everything and nothing. Though they were no longer in the desert and minutes now rolled by like seconds instead of hours and the sun was announcing its arrival so they ended their chat on embarrassing childhood memories and said their goodnights. Or their awkward Good Mornings.

Ben was slipping past the carnival gates when Micc stopped him in his tracks.

“Don’t tell me you changed your mind and you actually want to find the stone right now.”

Micc grinned as he jogged up to Ben. “Nah, I meant what I said. You need sleep.”

“Thanks for waking me up, then.” Benjamin smirked.

“Anytime.”

The taller boy couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “So…are you going to let me sleep or…”

“Oh yeah,” Micc nodded and pulled out the car key from his pocket. “I just wanted to give you this.”

Ben stared at it. He stared at it for a good minute.

“Uh…don’t you need that to get home?”

“Nah. I’m just gonna teleport the fuck to my bed.”

Benjamin’s eyes held much needed sleep but also a mighty need for clarification. He was lost, looking back and forth between Micc and the key.

“I’m sorry—and you’re leaving the key to me….because….?”

“Well, because she’s yours.”

Benjamin blinked.

“Micc I’m so sorry…I’m half asleep. Did you say—”

Micc nodded, taking Ben’s hand and gently placing the key in his palm. “The camaro is yours Ben. She’s your car now—”

“Shut the fuck up.” Ben responded too quickly, too out of breath. “I mean. Sorry, I didn’t mean—Like. I just…you kidding, right? You don’t mean that.”

“I meant it the first time I said it to you.” Micc shrugged. “I just kept forgetting to give you the key. But, I remembered this time! So, take the key and take the car for crying out loud, there’s no room for it at my carni—”

“HOLY SHIT, MICC.”

Micc didn’t even have time to register Ben’s words of excitement before he was pulled into a big tight bear hug. He might’ve even been lifted off the ground, he wouldn’t remember. All that he did was the lingering scent of strawberry shampoo and Ben’s warm chest pressed up against his rib cage. Did he even hug back? The answer was yes but he wouldn’t know that until a few days later.

When Ben pulled apart, he apologized. He was red at the cheeks again and mumbling words of appreciation and gratitude but there stood Micc growing increasingly frustrated with how good that hug felt. He placed the blame on lack of sleep. Or perhaps Benjamin’s firm embrace gave his sore torso the good crack it needed after weeks of overworking himself. Maybe what he was feeling was relief.

“Thank you.” Ben’s voice was a tad bit shaky.

Micc felt stupid for shrugging but he couldn’t find another way to respond. “Like I said, it’s been your car from the start—”

“No but,” Ben interrupted with a warm smile. “I also mean for the illusion tonight. You didn’t have to but you did and it was amaz—”

“Okay time to sleep.” Micc hushed the taller boy and lightly pushed him past the gates. Before Ben could protest, Micc was already walking away ordering him to get some rest because come nightfall they were to start right where they left off in their search for the Death Stone.

Micc also didn’t dare to look back, not when his face was burning up again and his jaw was tense. When every part of him was tense and he couldn’t fucking understand why he felt like he had no control. Why he felt like a deer in headlights.

Ben called out after him one last time but in a instant, Micc was gone.

* * *

 

They didn’t search for the stone that night. Or the following night. Or even the night after that. In fact about a week rolled by before Micc even found himself back in front of the gates to El Carnaval de Cuentos. Naturally, Benjamin was curious and concerned because Micc rarely ever just…stopped. Though the older boy assured Benjamin he had spent that time trying to acquire more wishing oil which was in fact true but only partly. Darcy had one more vial delivered to Micc within a day. The rest of the week was spent barricaded in his tent; Danse Macabre roaring through the speakers as he pushed himself as far as he ever could with his elemental training.

The end result: Micc still couldn’t produce a single spark of fire, Blue went cold for almost a day and he could still vividly remember holding Benjamin’s hand.

“Are you sure you want to go tonight?” Benjamin asked, very hesitantly. He was wearing his glasses again, but the pompadour was back and he smelled like cigarettes. Micc pretended not to notice every single one of these details. He decided to hyper-focus on a rock on the ground.

“Why not?”

Ben shrugged but he wouldn’t take his eyes off Micc. “You seem a little…tired is all.”

Micc went rigid for a second. After pacing around his tent for half an hour, you’d think that’d give him enough time to remember to throw on some glamour before arriving at ECDC. Finally, he looked up at Benjamin and smiled.

“I look rough, don’t I?” He said, biting the tip of his tongue until he winced.

Benjamin smiled back, sympathetically and that’s all Micc needed to confirm he in fact forgot all about the glamour and the boy before him was definitely staring at a face full of bruises, scrapes and cuts.

Micc drew in a deep breath, awaiting the questions that always followed when his face looked like he had just gotten into a brawl. Eva scorned. Corvus lectured. Amiel worried. But Benjamin Amado took Micc’s hand and led him inside the trailer house and before Micc could even understand what was going on, he found himself leaning against the sink of Benjamin’s bathroom while the taller boy patched him up.

“You know, I could just use glamour.” Micc leaned away from the cotton ball in Ben’s hand.

“That’ll just make you look okay.”

“And that’s the point.”

“No, the point is having none of these cuts get infected.” Ben continued dabbing the cotton ball around Micc’s face. Or tried to, at least. It was a hit or miss with Micc relentlessly dodging his hand.

Benjamin was annoyed and Micc was frustrated and impatient; the first sign that should’ve told them to reschedule for another day. They were both capable of losing their temper and while they never took it out on each other, it did interfere with the way they communicated. Neither were ever wrong, both were always right. But that day wasn’t the kind of day where they could just bicker until they both surrendered with laughter.

That day Micc’s head was swarming with thoughts he wanted to push to the back of his mind. But it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so and Benjamin wasn’t helping.

Micc was upset. He began to wonder why he came back to ECDC but there was no need to wonder. It was Ben. It was their adventure. He couldn’t, he wouldn’t do this without him. But fuck, he was upset and Ben was standing too close.

His chest felt tight.

“We’re going to find that stone.”

“Micc…did you sleep at all last night?”

“You sound like Leo.”

He thought about Litha Mica and it made his heart sink in all the right ways. Which was good. It pushed those other thoughts further back. So, he thought about Blue. He thought about never having to put her through so much strain again. He thought about finally wielding fire. And not just fire. Not just the elements. He thought about creation and disintegration. He imagined all the magic that would be sitting right at his fingertips.

He wouldn’t remember how long he kept thinking about it. He would just remember a painful hunger blooming within his lungs, rattling his ribcage. It made him dizzy. It made him feel so alive.

He would remember grabbing Benjamin’s hand, leading him out to the Camaro, watching ECDC fade away as they sped off down the highway. He’d remember rolling down window and sticking his hand out, feeling the wind slip through his fingers. To think that soon he’d be able to control it made him wild.

But what he wouldn’t remember would be all that followed.

They found the portal and Micc didn’t hesitate to make the first jump. It had been something they planned ever since they decoded the rest of the map. They must have gone through the action plan a dozen times. They knew what to do. Follow the portal and never lose sight.

There was bound to be at least twelve jumps and it was made very clear from the start that that would require a substantial amount of energy from the both of them.

Energy Micc did not have.

The first four jumps were successful. And with them came Micc’s unleashed desire for the death stone.

Darcy, who had helped decode the rest of the riddles in the map, assured them that they had a little over three minutes to rest with each jump before the portal moved again. But the more jumps they made, the closer they got to the mountains and the less patient Micc became.

It was so close.

He had lost his energy by the sixth jump. He was breathing hard, swaying with each step. Benjamin, a little breathless himself, noticed right away and attempted to end the chase.

“Are you kidding me, we’re halfway there.” Micc’s voice was hoarse.

Benjamin knew right away Micc wasn’t thinking things through. He wasn’t thinking about anything but the stone. He could see it in his eyes and hear it in his words.

Blue was barely glowing. There was no way they were going to make it to the twelfth jump.

Micc grabbed Ben’s hand and pushed them through the portal.

They landed in snow, heaving. Each jump landed them in a different location though somehow Benjamin felt like this one took them further than the rest. It had felt like being hit by a train. All the air inside his lungs forcefully pushed out.

“Come…on.” Micc panted, growled as his pushed himself back on his feet. “It’s right there.”

“Micc, we can’t.” Ben tried to catch his breath, his body felt bruised. “You can’t.”

“Don’t fucking tell me what I can’t do!” Micc snapped, every muscle in his body burning. His throat dry and his heart beating hard against his ribcage. He stumbled towards the portal, shimmering against the grey faded background of the hills.

Benjamin reached out and grabbed his wrist. “Micc you’re going to hurt yourself!”

“Let me go!” Micc yanked away but they were already too close to the portal. Both stumbled forward and fell in.

They landed back in the desert with the Camaro a few hundred feet away. Micc struggled to get up but the minute his eyesight came into focus and he saw where they landed his stomach dropped. Darcy’s words rang loud in his ears, like church bells.

The eighth jump was tricky. There were two portals. One that brought you home, the other that took you to the final four.

He felt like vomiting. He didn’t notice how bad he was shaking until he felt Ben’s hand on his shoulder. Another grabbed him by the chin and turned him to face the taller boy.

“Are you okay?” Benjamin asked. He had a new cut on his forehead and a bloody nose.

“I’m sorry,” Micc said and everything went black.

* * *

 

Blue had a new crack but unlike the smaller dents that had been made over time, this one was deep and it was serious. In fact, Blue was as good as dead but luckily Micc knew about an enchanter that worked in the northside woods, a place that was hard to find unless you were really desperate and Michelangelo Hayes was nothing short of that.

It would take her a couple of months to fix it. Which was a kick in the groin for Micc but it was still better than ending up at the front steps of Corvus’ mansion with a broken amulet.

Micc hated himself.

Honestly, that was nothing new but now he hated himself for new reasons and a big chunk of those reasons had to do with Benjamin, who he had not seen or heard from in a week. He felt anxious. Every part of him wanted to go back and apologize for being a stupid inconvenience in his life. For letting him get hurt as a result of his stupidity and impulsiveness.

The only reason it took him a week long to finally end up back outside the trailer, throwing rocks at his window, was because a small part of him hoped Benjamin would do the right thing and forget about him.

But even that made him anxious.

After a few nights of yelling into his pillow and attempting to fix his broken carousel only to end up smashing a unicorn’s head off with a lead pipe, he finally stood in front of Benjamin again and god.

A week had felt like a month.

Benjamin wasn’t mad. In fact, he thought Micc was. Another hard kick in Micc’s groin.

They cleared things up over some pancakes at a not so local but definitely cozy diner at 3 am. Benjamin knew the owner so that scored them a milkshake. Just one. With two straws and a wink from Mrs. Anguiano.

“This is cute and all…” Benjamin smiled that sleepy smile of his as his rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses. He looked at Micc and slid the glass toward himself. “But I don’t share my milkshakes.”

They both laughed. Micc’s first laugh since the night of the private illusion show. His body was still sore but it wasn’t something he wasn’t used to.

For a few hours, they forgot about everything. They laughed, flung whip cream at each other, and almost had Mrs. Anguiano kick them out. They were both tired with little to no sleep in their system but none of that really mattered. They talked and talked and ended up in light and dark places. But it was just the two of them and they felt safe with each other. It was strange yet exhilarating to be able to pour their history underneath the fluorescent lighting of that small secluded diner on the edge of the hot desert.

They left just before sunrise and took a slow quiet drive down the highway. Micc watched the highlands roll by. When he spotted a familiar land mark he asked Ben to pull over on the side. His heart leapt. For a brief second, he had caught a glimpse of the portal. But it wasn’t there.

They were quiet for a while. With the windows rolled down, only the desert whispered to them.

The Ben spoke, “Why do you want that stone?”

Micc kept staring out the window. He took time to respond back.

“Because there is so much more out there, Ben.” He said, barely above a whisper. “There’s so much more than just…useless illusions.”

“Illusions that make people happy.”

“They all think it’s holograms and crap” Micc sucked his teeth, “God, this magic show business is just fucking pointless.” He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “I mean. Corvus, Aquila, Phoenix…they have magic, Ben. I’m not talking stupid ships in the sky! REAL fucking magic! Control over elements, ability to travel through realms. They can fucking control so many—"

“Is that what you want to do?” Ben asked. He was a lot closer now and Micc realized it had been him who had leaned over during his little outburst.

He shrunk back just an inch. Benjamin had a peculiar look on his face. He was really listening, waiting for Micc’s answer.

“I just…don’t think this is enough.”

“Why?”

Questions. Micc loathed them. But usually, he just never wanted to answer. Now, especially now, especially with Ben, he didn’t know how to answer. It frustrated him. But he couldn’t be frustrated with Ben. Because Benjamin was always so patient and gentle. He always stayed far enough to let him breathe but close enough to let him know he was there.

And that’s the thing, Benjamin was always there. And it was something that Micc didn’t know he wanted. He wanted Ben there, with him, chasing a mythical rock. Or eating gansitos in the desert at 4 am. Or fighting vampires in caves.

He wanted it and the only thing that frustrated him was that he didn’t know why the fuck it scared him so much.

He felt his hands trembling.

“Fucking hell…” He leaned back in the car seat, covering his face with his hands.

“What’s wrong?” He could hear the concern in Benjamin’s voice.

Micc laughed. “Me…”

“Stop,” Benjamin gently wrapped a hand around Micc’s wrist. “Really, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know what I want.” Micc groaned as Ben successfully peeled a hand off his face.

“That’s okay,” He shrugged. “Neither do I.”

Micc laughed. He really laughed and Ben did too. His hand felt warm. He looked down and no matter how many times he recently found himself in this situation, it was still a pleasant surprise to find Benjamin’s hands interlocked with his own. He gave it a little squeeze. Ben noticed and squeezed back.

“Hey…” Micc looked up, getting that familiar airy feeling in his chest.

“Mhm?” Ben responded, eyes focused on their hands.

“Will you take me to the drive-in one day?”

Benjamin briefly glanced up, a tiny curious glint in his eyes. “Yeah. Of course.”

“And that one shitty bar you like so much?”

Benjamin grinned. “Get out. You really wanna go?”

“If you take me.” Micc smirked. His fingers were now dancing on top of Ben’s palm.

“I’ll take you.”

“Will you take me back to the carnival?”

“No, you can walk.”

They laughed, Micc playfully slapping Ben’s hand away. It wasn’t long before they were interlocked again.

“What else would you like me to do, you got a list or something?”

Micc shook his head. “No, I’m just procrastinating.”

“On what?”

“On what I really want to ask you.” Micc couldn’t help but grin and that grin broke out into another laugh.

Benjamin nudged him, laughing along. “What do you want to ask me?”

Micc looked at Benjamin. From the messy fallen pompadour, his deep brown eyes and the detailed rose on his neck back up to his plump lips.

“Can I kiss you?”

Benjamin blinked. He involuntarily let out a soft chuckle. Then he tilted his head a bit and Micc’s self-control hung by a thread. He wouldn’t remember how saturated and intense everything felt at that moment. Or how the Camaro suddenly felt like it was made for one person.

It felt instantaneous and yet the seconds leading up to it felt like they dragged on for hours.

He wouldn’t remember the first kiss.

But he’d remember pulling apart; looking at Benjamin and adoring the way that boy smiled at him.

“Can you do that again?”

“Fuck, thank god I was hoping you’d say that.” Benjamin laughed with relief, cupping Micc’s face.

He’d remember all the kisses that followed.


End file.
